# Created 2015-12-14 Mon 18:56
#+OPTIONS: toc:t H:2
#+TITLE: Org-mode Frequently Asked Questions
#+AUTHOR: Worg people
#+LANGUAGE: en
#+SETUPFILE: macros.setupfile
[[file:index.org][{Back to Worg's index}]]
* Latest questions on StackOverflow
#+INDEX: StackOverflow
* What is org-mode?
** Can Org-mode do "x"? Does org have "x" feature?
In its default setup, Org-mode offers a simple outlining and task
management environment. But it also has a huge number of features and
settings "under the hood." Advanced users have configured Org-mode for
almost every conceivable use scenario.
Org-mode has a very active community and rich and extensive
documentation. Before emailing the mailing list to ask whether
Org-mode has a particular feature or setting, please consult the
following:
- Read/search the manual.
- [[http://orgmode.org/manual/index.html]]
- Make sure to check out the following indexes:
- [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Main-Index.html#Main-Index][Main Index]]
- [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Key-Index.html#Key-Index][Key Index]]
- [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Variable-Index.html#Variable-Index][Variable Index]]
- The manual is also easily available from within emacs.
To read the manual within emacs, you can evaluate =(info
"(org)")= within emacs---i.e., type =C-x C-e= after the closing
paragraph of the info expression above.
You can also type =M-x info= and navigate to "Org Mode".
You can search the entire manual by typing ~C-s term~. Keep
pressing ~C-s~ to cycle through the results
- Search the [[http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode][mailing list archives]].
There is a good chance that the feature you are looking for has
already been discussed (most likely several times).
- Check for features from within emacs.
- Emacs has a wonderful built-in help system.
- You can browse (and change) most customization options by typing
=M-x org-customize=.
- You can check for a feature by typing =M-x apropos [RET] [word]= or
=C-h a word=. This will search for all functions and variables
matching the term (or regexp) you enter.
- You can browse (and search for) org functions, variables, and
faces by using =M-x describe-variable= (=C-h v=), =M-x
describe-function= (=C-h f=), or =M-x describe-face=.
After invoking one of these commands, simply type =org-[TAB]= to
see a full list of relevant functions or variables or faces. You
can then drill down further: e.g., =org-export-[TAB]= for export
features.
- Checkout the [[file:org-tutorials/index.org][tutorials on Worg]].
Several of these tutorials discuss advanced features (e.g.,
searching, custom agenda commands, tables, publishing) of Org-mode
in depth.
There are many other resources on Worg as well:
- [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-configs/index.html][Org Customization]] :: Includes a guide for beginners.
- [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-hacks.html][Org Hacks]] :: User-generated modifications and add-ons.
- [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-glossary.html][Org Glossary]] :: An explanation of basic Org-mode terms and
concepts.
** Can I implement a GTD workflow with Org-mode?
#+INDEX: GTD!Workflow
Yes, you can. Check for discussions and pointers [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-gtd-etc.html][here]].
** What is the difference between Org and TaskPaper?
#+INDEX: TaskPaper
There is really no difference. Org is as /simple/ as [[http://hogbaysoftware.com/products/taskpaper][TaskPaper]]. It
is just that, when using Org within Emacs, it lets you do many things
that you wouldn't be able to do with TaskPaper. Yes, TaskPaper is
fiddle-proof and people using Emacs tends to like fiddling (which is
orthogonal to the idea of using todo-lists efficiently), but this is
just a matter of discipline and common sense, not one of Org's design.
Read [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/6224][Carsten's enlightening statement]] on this.
** What is the meaning of the Unicorn on Org's website?
#+INDEX: Unicorn
The Unicorn is the logo of Org-mode because:
- Org-mode is the UNICs of ORgaNizers.
- Org-mode is an Emacs mode, so it makes sense to use an animal
similar or related to the gnu used for GNU Emacs.
- Org-mode is meant to show you the way, and an animal with two horns
can not do this very well, can it?
- Unicorn tears are said to reverse petrification, and wasn't this how
we all felt before getting to some degree of time and task
management?
- It will take forever to learn everything there is to know about a
unicorn.
- A unicorn is a fabulous creature. Org-mode wants to be a fabulous
creation.
Using a unicorn was originally /Bastien Guerry's/ idea. His friend,
the french artist [[http://intemperies.over-blog.com/][Christophe Bataillon]], designed the logo for us, and
/Greg Newman/ gave it a refresh some time later. Bastien writes why
he chose a unicorn:
#+BEGIN_QUOTE
The first reason is not linked to the animal, but to the sounding of the
word "Unicorn" - because Org gives you a /uni/que way of producing files
in several format (HTML, LaTeX, etc.).
The second reason is that a Unicorn doesn't really exist, it is just
something you can dream about, and make others believe it does exist.
Just like the perfect organizer.
#+END_QUOTE
There was a [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/11641/focus%3D11641][thread about unicorns]] on the mailing list. [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/11641/focus%3D11641][Christopher
Suckling]] posted a link showing how to make a simple foldable unicorn
(very appropriate for an outlining program!).
[[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/11735][Tim Burt]] made a very complicated one which is now a treasured
possession of the Org-mode author.
- Official logo: [[http://orgmode.org/img/org-mode-unicorn.png]]
This logo is available in a number of different formats including
Photoshop /.psd/ and scaleable vector graphics /.svg/ [[http://orgmode.org/img/][here]].
- An [[http://orgmode.org/img/nrocinu4.jpg][alternative version]] from Christophe Bataillon (c):
- [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/14293][Chris Randle]] made a [[http://orgmode.org/img/nrocinu.txt][text version]] using the logo and [[http://glassgiant.com][glassgiant.com]]:
- [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/14362][Stefan Vollmar]] made a [[http://orgmode.org/img/nrocinu.pdf][pdf version]] (here in [[http://orgmode.org/img/nrocinu_pdf.png][png]]) using "a simple
threshold technique".
- [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/11735/match%3D][Tim Burt]] made a folded Unicorn to match the spirit of Org - see the
whole set of pictures [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tcburt/sets/72157614543357071/][on his flickr page]].
- Are unicorns real? Answer [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/11687/match%3Drosslaird%2Bunicorn][here]] by Ross Laird.
** Is Org's documentation written in Org?
No. Org's documentation is written in TeXinfo, which is the standard
format for Emacs documentation. There is no export mechanism from Org
to TeXinfo (yet).
** Is there a bibtex entry for the Org manual?
Yes. Please evaluate this function and run =M-x
org-insert-manual-bibtex-citation-at-point RET=.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-insert-manual-bibtex-citation-at-point ()
"Insert a BibTeX citation of the Org manual at point."
(interactive)
(insert
"@book{dominik10:_org_mode_refer_manual,
author = {Carsten Dominik},
title = {The Org-Mode 7 Reference Manual: Organize
Your Life with GNU Emacs},
publisher = {Network Theory},
year = 2010,
address = {UK},
note = {with contributions by David O'Toole, Bastien Guerry,
Philip Rooke, Dan Davison, Eric Schulte, and Thomas
Dye}
}"
(message "Thanks for quoting the Org manual!")))
#+END_SRC
Please check [[file:org-papers.org][the Org papers page]] for more references related to Org.
* Mailing list
** I think my Org-mode is broken! How do I report a bug?
#+INDEX: Bug!Report
1. Make sure you are running [[#updating-org][the latest version of Org-mode]].
2. Read [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Feedback.html][this section]] of the manual.
3. Provide a minimal example that duplicates the bug.
- Create a minimal .emacs file and start emacs with that file as
detailed in [[#minimal-emacs][these instructions]].
- Create a sample, minimal .org file that reliably reproduces the
problem and post it to the mailing list.
- Some users call this an "[[#ecm][ECM]]", a French acronym that means a
"minimal complete example".
** What is an "ECM"?
#+INDEX: ECM
This is a French acronym used by some mailing list members; it stands
for "Exemple Complet Minimal", or "Complete Minimal Example". The term
refers to test files that can reliably reproduce a bug with the
minimal amount of code. When you report a bug to the mailing list, you
should provide a minimal .org file (with no more text than necessary)
that demonstrates the bug. See [[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/41281][this post]] for more information.
** What should I do before contacting the mailing list?
The Org-mode mailing list is a high volume list, in which community
members discuss use cases, configuration, bugs, and developments.
If you are new to Org-mode, please read/search the excellent [[http://orgmode.org/manual/index.html][manual]]
(and pay special attention to the indexes) before asking your
question.
You should also [[http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode][search the mailing list]] to see if your issue has
already been discussed.
See [[#can-org-do-x][this faq]] for more details.
** Why hasn't my email to the mailing list shown up yet?
The org-mode mailing list is moderated. Thus, if you are not
subscribed to the mailing list, your mail will only appear on the list
after it has been approved by a moderator. To ensure that your mail
appears quickly, please [[http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode][subscribe to the list]].
** I read the mailing list through gmane. Should I subscribe?
#+INDEX: Gmane
The org-mode mailing list is available via nntp at [[http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode][Gmane]]. Many
participants in the list prefer read the list in a newsreader, such as
Gnus, instead of receiving emails. If you choose to read the list via
nntp, you can still [[http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode][subscribe]] to the list and then opt not to receive
any emails on the mailman settings page (see the "Mail Delivery"
setting).
This will ensure that your messages to the list get through quickly,
reduce the work load of the mailing list moderators (who need to clear
every mail from non-members), and provide more accurate information
about the number of list readers.
* Keeping current
** Upgrading to Org 8.0/master and using the new export engine
#+INDEX: Upgrade!new exporter
#+INDEX: Export!new exporter
See [[file:org-8.0.org][Upgrading to Org 8.0 (or the current master branch)]].
** My Emacs ships with an older version Org-mode! How do I upgrade?
#+INDEX: Upgrade
Org-mode develops quickly, which means that versions of Org-mode
shipped with Emacs are more or less out-of-date. If you'd like to
upgrade to the most recent version of org-mode, you have a number of
options.
1. Download the [[http://orgmode.org/index.html#sec-3][most recent release]] of org-mode as zip or tarball and
follow the [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Installation.html#Installation][installation instructions]] in the manual.
2. Clone and install the development git repository as [[#keeping-current-with-Org-mode-development][explained
here]]. If you don't want to run the bleeding edge, you can still
use git [[#using-stable-releases-only][to track the most recent stable releases]].
3. Install and updated org-mode automatically through the Emacs
Package Manager as [[#installing-via-elpa][explained in this FAQ]].
/Note/: Please also see [[#mixed-install][Is my Orgmode installation mixed?]] for a common
issue with mixed installations.
** How do I keep current with bleeding edge development?
#+INDEX: Bleeding Edge
Org-mode is developed in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(software)][Git]]. You can keep up-to-date with Org-mode
developement by cloning the Org-mode repository and refreshing your
copy with latest changes whenever you wish. You only need to use
two Git commands (clone and pull.) Here are the steps in brief
(assuming a POSIX compatible shell and please customize locations
to suit your setup):
1. Select a location to house the Org-mode repository (approx. 40
MB; includes documentation, compiled elisp files and history
going all the way back to v4.12a)
: $ mkdir $HOME/elisp && cd $HOME/elisp
2. Clone the Org-mode Git repository.
Recommended approach:
: $ git clone git://orgmode.org/org-mode.git
You can also clone from this mirror (lagging one hour behind
orgmode.org repo):
: $ git clone git://repo.or.cz/org-mode.git
For those of you behind a firewall that allows only HTTP, you can
clone like this (can be somewhat slow), either from orgmode.org or
from repo.or.cz:
: $ git clone http://orgmode.org/org-mode.git
: $ git clone http://repo.or.cz/r/org-mode.git
3. Compile and install Org-mode and build documentation.
: $ cd $HOME/elisp/org-mode && make
Please note that you can choose to /not/ compile at all and run
using source =.el= files only (compiled files speed things up),
but you will still need to generate the autoload files.
: $ cd $HOME/elisp/org-mode && make uncompiled
If you'd like to install org-mode someplace outside the source
tree (private or system-wide), you should edit =local.mk= to
point to the appropriate install location. You may need
administrator rights to do a system-wide installation.
: $ cd $HOME/elisp/org-mode && make install
4. This is where you configure Org-mode with Emacs. Please refer
to [[file:./org-tutorials/index.org][Org tutorials]].
5. Keeping up-to-date.
Cloning the repository is a one time activity. From this point
onwards you only need to /pull/ the latest changes, which the
Makefile is set up to do automatically for certain make targets.
: $ cd $HOME/elisp/org-mode && make update
or if you immediately want to install as well
: $ cd $HOME/elisp/org-mode && make update2
Actually in this case it is recommended to run the test suite
before installation so that you don't install a version that
fails testing.
: $ cd $HOME/elisp/org-mode && make up2
6. You should reload Org-mode to have the changes take effect (if
you are not restarting Emacs, which is recommended). Also since
the intention is to "keep up" with Org-mode, you should visit
updated sections of documentation for latest updates (use =git
log=.)
7. As you use your repository over time it will accumulate loose objects.
You can reduce the total size of your git repository with
: $ git gc
which will consolidate loose git objects into pack files. This
reduces the size of the repository and speeds up data access to
the objects.
** How do I update the info manual pages to the latest org-mode version?
*This is not a problem if org-mode is installed system-wide, which
automatically takes care of this issue!* Since org-mode already
ships with Emacs, a rather common problem among users is "How do I
update the info documentation to the latest version of org-mode?".
There are three ways to achieve this if for whatever reason you
can't install into the standard, system-wide info directory:
1. You can set the =INFOPATH= environment variable in your login
script like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC shell-script
# ~/.bash_profile
export INFOPATH=/path/to/org-mode/info:$INFOPATH
...
#+END_SRC
=/path/to/org-mode/info= is wherever you install org-mode.
2. You can achieve the same with elisp like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; Info directory
(add-to-list 'Info-additional-directory-list
(expand-file-name "/path/to/org-mode/info"))
#+END_SRC
3. You should specify the same location in the Makefile while
installing org-mode like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC makefile-gmake
# Where local software is found
prefix=/path/to/emacs-root
...
# Where info files go.
infodir = $(prefix)/share/info
#+END_SRC
** How can I keep local changes and still track Org-mode development?
There is no need to do this anymore for the purpose of adapting the
build system to the local environment, since this can now be
specified in =local.mk=. However, there may be a need to make other
local changes to Org.
Say you want to make minor changes to the =org.el= or any other
version controlled file from Org and you want to keep these changes
on top of the =master= branch from Org. Create a local branch for
your changes on top of origin/master as follows:
: $ git checkout -b local origin/master
: $ git config branch.local.rebase true
: # Make your changes to the sources and create a new commit
: $ git commit -am 'My local changes to Org'
: # Update to a newer version
: $ git pull
Now each time you pull new commits from the distribution repository
your local commits will be rewound and replayed on top of the new
origin/master. You would normally work on your =local= branch which
includes your custom commits; there's no need to switch back to the
=master= branch.
If you get a conflict during a =git pull= (a change in Org and one
of your local changes try to alter the same line of code) you will
need to edit the file with the conflict to fix up the conflicting
lines and then tell git that you have resolved the conflict:
1. =git pull= fails with a conflict
2. edit the file: look for the conflict markers =>>>>>>>= and
=<<<<<<<= and either keep one version or create a new one and
remove all conflict markers while doing this.
3. =git add= the file to the index to mark the conflict resolved
4. =git rebase --continue=
5. lather, rinse, and repeat 2-4 as needed
Note that it is possible to have silent conflicts when a change in
Org and one of your local changes do not edit the same line of code,
but are logically incompatible — for example Org might have changed
to assume /roses are red/ while you've made a local change that
defines /my roses are yellow/ in some other place. Git will not
warn you about such conflicts (it doesn't understand what the code
_does_, of course).
At anytime during the rebase conflict resolution you can say "oops
this is all wrong - put it back the way it was before I did a pull"
using
: $ git rebase --abort
** How can I use a stable release version instead of the bleeding edge master?
The =master= branch of the git repository always contains the bleeding
edge development code. This is important for Org's fast development,
because code on master gets checked out by many people daily and we
quickly receive bug reports if something is wrong. On rare occasions,
this code may not function perfectly for a limited time while we are
trying to fix things. It is therefore recommended to keep a
known-good version of org-mode installed outside the source tree and
always run the full test suite before using a new version from master.
Not everyone like to use this bleeding-edge code and face the danger
to hit a surprising bug. The branch =maint= is specifically for
collecting only fixes for known bugs between releases. If you don't
want to wait for a new release, but don't want to live on the bleeding
edge, consider using =maint=.
From time to time, we make a release by merging all the new features
from =master= into =maint=. This typically happens when the
maintainers feel that
1. they have reached a good point in the development
2. the code has a feature set that should stay and be supported in the
future
Stable releases are used as the basis for [[http://orgmode.org/index.html#sec-3_3][alternative distributions]] of
Org, and they are also the code that gets merged into the Emacs
distribution. If you want to work only with stable releases, you can
always download [[http://orgmode.org/index.html#sec-3][them here]], but you can also also use the git
repository to keep automatically up-to-date with the most recent
stable releases (and save bandwidth!). Here's how to do so:
*** Run a specific stable release
In the repository, do
: $ git fetch --tags
: $ git tag
To see which release tags are available. Let's say you decide to use
=release_7.01f=.
: $ git checkout release_7.01f
This set the working tree of the repository to the state of Org at the
moment of release 7.01f. You can then run Org from the repository be
sure to use the stable release while development continues on the
master branch.
Later, when we release 7.02, you can switch to that using
: $ git fetch --tags # to get all the new stuff
: $ git tag
: $ git checkout release_7.02
*** Always run the most recent stable release
Alternatively, if you just want to always run whatever the latest
stable release is, you can do
: $ git checkout -b stable origin/maint
and then regularly update this branch by doing
: $ git pull
** How can I install an up-to-date version of org-mode without "make" tools?
If you are using org-mode on a computer that lacks developer tools for
compiling software, such as [[http://www.gnu.org/software/make/][GNU Make]], you will have to use a
*different* installation method than [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Installation.html#Installation][the one outlined in the manual]].
Please see this description for [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-hacks.html#compiling-org-without-make][compiling org-mode without make]] so you
can install a recent version of org-mode without using the full build
system.
** I don't use git. Can I download bleeding edge .zip and .tar.gz archives?
Yes. You can download [[http://orgmode.org/org-latest.zip][org-latest.zip]] or [[http://orgmode.org/org-latest.tar.gz][org-latest.tar.gz]] of Org-mode --
these archives are udpated every day at midnight.
Alternatively, you can download a [[http://orgmode.org/w/org-mode.git/snapshot][tar.gz snapshot from orgmode.org]].
** How do I install Org-mode through Emacs' Package Manager?
Daily builds of Org-mode are distributed as an ELPA package from both
[[http://elpa.gnu.org/packages/][GNU Emacs Lisp Package Archive]] as well as from the [[http://orgmode.org/elpa/][Org-mode Emacs Lisp
Archive]].
Steps for installing Org with package manager:
1. Do =M-x list-packages= to browse available packages.
2. If the above command is unavailable you need to [[#installing-elpa][install the package
manager]] before proceeding ahead.
3. If you see =org= as an available package, skip to step 5.
4. If you are here it means that org is unavailable in the GNU's
archives. Report this discrepancy to [[mailto:emacs-orgmode@gnu.org][Orgmode mailing list.]]
In the meanwhile, you can manually download the tarball and
install it. Refer [[*How do I install Org-mode from a ELPA-compatible tarball?][to this FAQ entry]] for further information.
5. Press =i= to mark the package for installation
6. Press =x= to install
7. Reload Emacs
8. Use =M-x locate-library RET org=. If your installation is
successful you would something like the following:
=Library is file ~/.emacs.d/elpa/org-20110403/org.elc=
** How do I install Emacs package manager?
If you are running Emacs 24 or find the command =M-x list-packages=
available you already have the package manager installed.
Steps for installing package manager on emacs-23:
1. Download the package manager [[http://repo.or.cz/w/emacs.git/blob_plain/1a0a666f941c99882093d7bd08ced15033bc3f0c:/lisp/emacs-lisp/package.el][package.el]]
2. Add the following to your =.emacs= and reload Emacs.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; change "~/elisp/" as appropiate
(setq load-path (cons "~/elisp" load-path))
;; Add the below lines *at the beginning* of your .emacs.
(require 'package)
(package-initialize)
#+END_SRC
** I don't see Org-mode as an installation option in Package Manager Menu?
Emacs Package Manager is a very recent addition to Emacs. Work is
under way to have have Org-mode seamlessly integrate with Emacs'
Package Manager. As a result, it will be some time before the
Org-mode packages are available and usable from either GNU or
Org-mode package archives.
In the meanwhile, you can install Org-mode via package manager
through ELPA-compatible tar. Refer [[#installing-from-elpa-tarball][to this FAQ entry]] for more
information.
** How do I install Org-mode from a ELPA-compatible tarball?
#+INDEX: ELPA
Org-mode is distributed as an ELPA-compatible tar which can be used
in conjunction with Emacs' package manager.
1. If you are already running Org-mode, note the current version
reported by M-x org-version.
2. Download the latest tarball from [[http://orgmode.org/elpa/][Org-mode repo]].
3. Do =M-x package-install-file=. When prompted for =Package file
name=, point it to .tar file downloaded in step 2.
You will now see Package Manager compiling the files and
installing it.
4. Reload emacs. This step is very important.
5. Note the version of the new installation using M-x
org-version. If the new and old versions are different, the
installation is done and you are all set to enjoy the updated
Org-mode. Otherwise skip to step 6.
6. Review you load-path using =C-h v load-path=. Most likely that
your old installation path takes precedence over the path chosen
by package manager (which is typically
=~/.emacs.d/elpa/...=). Fix this anamoly by moving
=(package-initialize)= line in .emacs to a more appropriate
location.
** Why would I use ELPA tarballs instead of the snapshot tarballs?
#+INDEX: ELPA
ELPA-tarballs automate much the process of upgrading org-mode. Much
of the following grunt work is done automatically by the Package
Manager:
1. Downloading, compiling, and activating of org-mode (including
setting org-mode's =load-path= and autoloads).
2. Updating info files.
* Setup
#+INDEX: Setup
** How can I quickly browse all Org options?
#+INDEX: Options
=M-x org-customize RET=
See also [[file:org-tutorials/org-customize.org][Carsten's Org customize tutorial]] and [[file:org-configs/org-customization-guide.org][this customization guide]]
for details.
** Can I use the editing features of org-mode in other modes?
Not really---but there are a few editing features you can use in
other modes.
- For tables there is =orgtbl-mode= which implements the table
editor as a minor mode. (To enable, type =M-x orgtbl-mode=)
- For ordered lists there is =orgstruct-mode= which allows for easy
list editing as a minor mode. (To enable, type =M-x
orgstruct-mode=)
You can activate these modes automatically by using hooks:
: (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
: (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgstruct)
For footnotes, there is the function =org-footnote-action=, which
works in non-org buffers. This function is a powerful tool for
creating and sorting footnotes. To use it globally, you can add the
following keybinding to your =.emacs= file (requires Org 6.17 or
greater):
: (global-set-key (kbd "C-c f") 'org-footnote-action)
For other features you need to switch to Org-mode temporarily, or
prepare text in a different buffer.
** Why isn't feature "X" working the way it is described in the manual?
Org-mode develops very quickly. If you are using a version of Org-mode
that shipped with emacs, there is a good chance that it is somewhat
out of date.
Many of the users on the Org-mode mailing list are using either a
recent release of Org-mode or the
[[http://orgmode.org/index.html#sec-3.2][development version of
org-mode from the git repository]].
If some settings and features aren't working the way you expect, make
sure that the version of the manual you are consulting matches the
version of Org-mode you are using.
- You can check which version of Org-mode you are using by
selection =Org --> Documentation --> Show Version= in the Emacs
menu.
- The [[http://orgmode.org/manual/index.html][online manual]] at [[http://orgmode.org][orgmode.org]] corresponds to the most recent
release.
- The [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/org/index.html][manual]] at [[http://www.gnu.org][www.gnu.org]] corresponds to the version of Org-mode
released with the latest official Gnu Emacs release. Compared
with the manual at the orgmode.org, the manual at www.gnu.org is
somewhat out of date.
For instructions on how to stay current with Org-mode, consult [[#keeping-current-with-Org-mode-development][this
FAQ]] or follow the instructions on [[http://orgmode.org][the official Org-mode site]].
** Can I get the visibility-cycling features in emacs-lisp-mode?
Yes. This snippet in your =.emacs= will bind =C-M-]= and =M-]= to global
and local cycling:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(global-set-key (kbd "C-M-]") (lambda () (interactive) (org-cycle t)))
(global-set-key (kbd "M-]") (lambda ()
(interactive)
(ignore-errors
(end-of-defun)
(beginning-of-defun))
(org-cycle)))
#+END_SRC
** Can I get the visibility-cycling features in outline-mode and outline-minor-mode?
#+INDEX: Visibility!Cycling
Yes, these functions are written in a way that they are independent of
the outline setup. The following setup provides standard Org-mode
functionality in outline-mode on =TAB= and =S-TAB=. For
outline-minor-mode, we use =C-TAB= instead of =TAB=,
because =TAB= usually has mode-specific tasks.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'outline-minor-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(define-key outline-minor-mode-map [(control tab)] 'org-cycle)
(define-key outline-minor-mode-map [(shift tab)] 'org-global-cycle)))
(add-hook 'outline-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(define-key outline-mode-map [(tab)] 'org-cycle)
(define-key outline-mode-map [(shift tab)] 'org-global-cycle)))
#+END_SRC
Or check out /outline-magic.el/, which does this and also provides
promotion and demotion functionality. /outline-magic.el/ is
available at [[http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/outline-magic.el][Outline Magic]].
** Can I save/restore the visibility state of an org-mode buffer?
#+INDEX: Visibility!Restore
Well, no---at least not automatically. You can, however, control the
visibility of an org-file or of individual trees by adding
instructions to your org file. See [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Visibility-cycling.html#Visibility-cycling][this section of the manual]] for more
information.
** How can I keep track of changes in my Org files?
Use git to track the history of the files, use a cronjob to check in
changes regularly. Such a setup is described by Bernt Hansen in [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/6233][this
message]] on [[http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode][emacs-orgmode]].
** Can I use Org-mode as the default mode for all README files?
#+INDEX: default-major-mode
Add the following to your .emacs file:
: (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("README$" . org-mode))
You can even make it the default mode for any files with unspecified
mode using
: (setq default-major-mode 'org-mode)
** Can I use ido.el for completing stuff in Org?
#+INDEX: Ido
Yes, you can. If you are an ido user and ido-mode is active, the
following setting will make Org use =ido-completing-read= for most
of its completing prompts.
: (setq org-completion-use-ido t)
** Should I use one big org file or multiple files?
Org-mode is flexible enough to accomodate a variety of organizational and
time management schemes. Org's [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Document-Structure.html#Document-Structure][outline cycling and convenient editing and
navigation commands]] make it possible to maintain all of your projects and
notes in a single file. But org-mode's [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Hyperlinks.html#Hyperlinks][quick and easy hyperlinks]], along
with [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Refiling-notes.html#Refiling-notes][easy refiling of notes and todos]], also make it a delight to maintain a
private "wiki" consisting of multiple files.
No matter how you organize your org files, org-mode's agenda commands
make it easy to search all your notes and gather together crucial data
in a single view.
Moreover, several org-mode settings can be configured either globally in
your =.emacs= file or locally (per file or per outline tree). See the
[[http://orgmode.org/manual/index.html#Top][manual]] for more details. For an example of local customizations see [[#limit-agenda-with-category-match][this
FAQ]].
Here are a few ideas for organizing org-mode files:
- A single file for all your projects and notes.
- One file per project.
- One file per client.
- One file per area of responsibility or type of work (e.g.,
household, health, work, etc.).
- One file for projects, one for appointments, one for reference
material, one for someday/maybe items, etc.
- A wiki of hyperlinked files that grows and adapts to meet your
needs.
For more ideas, see some of the links on the [[file:org-tutorials/index.org][org-tutorial index]] or
[[file:org-gtd-etc.org][this page on org-mode and GTD]].
** Why doesn't C-c a call the agenda? Why don't some org keybindings work?
Org-mode has a few global keybindings that the user must set explicitly in
an =.emacs= file. These keybindings include the customary shortcut for
calling the agenda (=C-c a=). If nothing happens when you type =C-c a=,
then make sure that the following lines are in your =.emacs= file:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org\\'" . org-mode))
(global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
(global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
(global-set-key "\C-cb" 'org-iswitchb)
#+END_SRC
You may, of course, choose whatever keybindings work best for you
and do not conflict with other modes.
Please see [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Activation.html][this section of the manual]] if you have additional
questions.
** Why aren't some of the variables I've customized having an effect?
Some org variables have to be set before org.el is loaded or else they
will not work. (An example is the new variable
=org-enforce-todo-dependencies=.)
To make sure all your variables work you should not use =(require
'org)=. Instead use the following setting:
: (require 'org-install)
You should also make sure that you do not require any other =org-...=
files in your =.emacs= file before you have set your org variables,
since these will also cause org.el to be loaded. To be safe, load org
files *after* you have set your variables.
** How can I make sure that timestamps appear in English?
If your system's locale is not set to English, but you would like the
timestamps in your org-mode files to appear in English, you can set
the following variable:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq system-time-locale "C")
#+END_SRC
** What does a minimal .emacs look like?
Using a stripped down minimal .emacs files removes broken custom
settings as the cause of an issue and makes it easy to reproduce for
other people. The example below has system-specific paths that you'll
need to change for your own use.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-to-list 'load-path (expand-file-name "~/git/org-mode/lisp"))
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.\\(org\\ |org_archive\\|txt\\)$" . org-mode))
(setq org-agenda-files '("/tmp/test.org"))
(require 'org-install)
(require 'org-habit)
(global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
(global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
(global-set-key "\C-cb" 'org-iswitchb)
#+END_SRC
You can save the minimal .emacs file to ~/minimal.emacs, add suspect
configuration code to it, then start emacs something like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
emacs -Q -l ~/minimal.emacs
#+END_SRC
On OS X, starting emacs with minimal configuration might look
something like this:
#+begin_src sh
/Applications/emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs -Q -l ~/minimal.emacs
#+end_src sh
** Can I migrate from Planner?
Yes. This [[http://www.c0t0d0s0.de/plan2org/plan2org.pl][perl script]] or [[http://gitorious.org/bkuhn-small-hacks/org-mode/blobs/master/planner2org.plx ][this Perl script]] can help.
* Errors and general problems
** Is my Orgmode installation mixed?
Emacs is distributed with a version of Orgmode bundled with it. A
common problem among users who install a [[#updating-org][newer version]] of Orgmode
separately is a mixed install where Emacs loads some files from the
bundled and the rest from the latest version. This can lead to
/unending/ troubles in the future. With a recent installation of
Org mode =M-x org-version= will indicate if the installation is mixed.
With somewhat older Org mode installations, the procedure is more
involved and indeterminate. An easy first step is to look
at the output of =M-x org-version=.
- Good :: ~Org-mode version 7.8.11 (release_7.8.11-448-g1737d3 @
/path/to/org-mode/lisp/)~
- Bad :: ~Org-mode version 6.33x (release_7.8.11.409.ga3778)~
A second step is to go through the output of =list-load-path-shadows=
line-by-line to get hints to what in your configuration is causing
the issue. Among the most common reasons is Orgmode gets loaded
before the =load-path= variable is updated to include the
installation directory of the latest Orgmode. To avoid issues like
this, it is recommended that the load path is updated very early on
in your init file.
/Note:/ The formatting of the version information, as shown in the
examples above, will be different for older Org mode releases,
e.g. ~Org-mode version 7.8.02~.
** Opening Org files in Emacs leads to a crash
The only known case where Org-mode can crash Emacs is when you are
using =org-indent-mode= with Emacs 23.1 (in fact, any version of
Emacs before version 23.1.50.3). Upgrade to Emacs 23.2 and the
problem should go away.
** When I try to use Org-mode, I always get the error message =(wrong-type-argument keymapp nil)=
This is a conflict with an outdated version of the /allout.el/, see
the [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Conflicts.html#Conflicts][Conflicts]] section in the manual
** How can I control the application launched by Org-mode to open a certain file type like pdf, html...?
If you want special control about how Org-mode opens files, see the
variables =org-file-apps=, =org-file-apps-defaults-gnu=,
=org-file-apps-defaults-macosx=, =org-file-apps-defaults-windowsnt=.
*However*, normally it is best to just use the mechanism the
operating-system provides:
*** GNU/Linux systems
You you have to check your mailcap settings, find the files:
: /etc/mailcap
:
: or
:
: $HOME/.mailcap
and modify them accordingly. Please read their manual entry.
*** Windows systems
- for html pages you may configure the =browse-url-= variables through
the Customize interface,
- the pdf files are automatically opened with Acrobat Reader (if it is
installed)
*** Mac OSX
Change the application responsible for this file type by selecting
such a file in the Finder, select =File->Get Info= from the menu
and select the application to open this file with. Then, to
propagate the change to all files with the same extension, select
the =Change all= button.
** Org-mode takes over the TAB key. I also want to use YASnippet, is there a way to fix this conflict?
[[http://code.google.com/p/yasnippet/][yasnippet]] is yet another snippet expansion system for Emacs. It is
inspired by TextMate's templating syntax.
- watch the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOj7btx3ATg][video on YouTube]]
- see the [[http://yasnippet.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/doc/index.html][intro and tutorial]]
*Note*: yasnippet is not compatible with =org-indent-mode= currently
there is no known way to use both successfully with =yas/trigger-key=
set to =TAB= (or =[tab]= etc...)
The way Org-mode binds the =TAB= key (binding to =[tab]= instead of
=\t=) overrules yasnippets' access to this key. The following code
fixes this problem:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(org-set-local 'yas/trigger-key [tab])
(define-key yas/keymap [tab] 'yas/next-field-group)))
#+END_SRC
If the above code doesn't work (which it may not with later versions
of yasnippet). Then try the following
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun yas/org-very-safe-expand ()
(let ((yas/fallback-behavior 'return-nil)) (yas/expand)))
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
;; yasnippet (using the new org-cycle hooks)
(make-variable-buffer-local 'yas/trigger-key)
(setq yas/trigger-key [tab])
(add-to-list 'org-tab-first-hook 'yas/org-very-safe-expand)
(define-key yas/keymap [tab] 'yas/next-field)))
#+END_SRC
Rick Moynihan maintains a [[http://github.com/RickMoynihan/yasnippet-org-mode][git repository]] (or [[http://github.com/eschulte/yasnippet-org-mode][Eric's fork of the same]])
with YASnippets for Org-mode.
** Org-mode takes over the S-cursor keys. I also want to use CUA-mode, is there a way to fix this conflict?
Yes, see the [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Conflicts.html#Conflicts][Conflicts]] section of the manual.
** Org-mode takes over the S-cursor keys. I also want to use windmove.el, is there a way to fix this conflict?
Yes, see the [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Conflicts.html#Conflicts][Conflicts]] section of the manual.
** Org behaves strangely: some keys don't work, some features are missing, my settings have no effect, ...
When this sort of things happen, it probably is because Emacs is
loading an old version of Org-mode instead of the one you expected.
Check it with =M-x org-version=.
This happens because Emacs loads first the system org-mode (the one
included with Emacs) before the one in your directory. Check the
=load-path= variable; you might see that your org-mode appears /after/
the system-wide path; this is bad.
You should add your directories to the =load-path= at the beginning:
: (add-to-list 'load-path "~/.emacs.d/org-mode/lisp") (require 'org-install)
Function =add-to-list= adds at the beginning. Don't use =append=
because it appends at the end. Also be sure to use =(require
'org-install)= and not =(require 'org)=.
This wrong version loading may also happen if you have a byte-compiled
=org.elc= from an old version together with a new =org.el=. Since
Emacs prefers loading byte-compiled files (even if the =.el= is
newer), it will load the old Org-mode.
** Why doesn't org-batch-agenda work under Win32?
When I run the example batch files to print my agenda to the console
under Win32 I get the failure:
: End of file during parsing
and no agenda is printed.
The problem is the use of single quotes surrounding the eval in the
emacs command-line. This gets confused under Win32. All string
parameters with spaces must be surrounded in double quotes. This means
that double quotes being passed to the eval must be escaped.
Therefore, instead of the following:
: \emacs.exe -batch -l ~/_emacs_org \
: -eval '(org-batch-agenda "a")'
you need to use the following:
: \emacs.exe -batch -l ~/_emacs_org \
: -eval "(org-batch-agenda \"a\")"
(all on one line, of course).
** Org agenda seems very slow
If it takes a long time to generate or refresh the agenda, you might
want first check which version of org-mode you are using. There have
been major optimizations of org-agenda since 6.21b, which was the
version of org-mode released with Emacs 23. If you are using 6.21b or
earlier (you can check with =M-x org-version=), then you might want to
consider upgrading to a more recent version of org-mode.
Here are some other ideas for speeding up the agenda:
1. Use a one day agenda view (rather than a seven day view).
=(setq org-agenda-ndays 1)=
2. Archive inactive items to separate files.
=C-c C-x C-s= (org-archive-subtree)
3. Do not include the global todo list in your agenda view.
(setq org-agenda-include-all-todo nil)
4. Make sure that your org files are byte-compiled.
I.e., make sure there are files ending in =.elc= in your org
installation directory.
5. Limit your agenda files (=org-agenda-files=) to files that have
active todos and or projects.
If you have a number of older reference files---i.e., files you
search only occasionally---in your agenda files list, consider
removing them from your agenda files and adding them to
=org-agenda-text-search-extra-files= instead. Similarly, you might
consider searching some of your older reference files with =M-x
grep= so that Org-mode does not have to load them into memory when
the agenda is called.
** Visual-line-mode doesn't work well with Org-mode
Visual-line-mode "soft wraps" lines so that the visual edge of the
buffer is considered a line break for purposes of navigation, even
though there is no line break in reality.
In older versions of org-mode, org-beginning-of-line and
org-end-of-line do not work well with visual line mode. (The two
commands disregard soft line breaks and move to the beginning and end
of the hard line break.) A patch was introduces to fix this behavior
in July of 2009.
If you are using an older version of Org-mode, you can:
1. Add a hook to turn off visual line mode.
2. Add the following to your =.emacs=:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(define-key org-mode-map "\C-a" 'move-beginning-of-line)
(define-key org-mode-map "\C-e" 'move-end-of-line)))
#+END_SRC
** Can I hide blocks at startup?
Yes:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq org-hide-block-startup t)
#+END_SRC
Or use
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,#+STARTUP: hideblocks
#+END_SRC
on a per-file basis.
** After updating Org I get an error about an =invalid function=
In almost all cases an =invalid function= error is caused by an
unclean Org-mode source directory. Cleaning it up and recompiling
should fix the problem
: cd /path/to/orgmode
: make clean
: make
In some cases, bits and pieces of org are loaded from various places (previous
installs, the built-in install of org that came with whatever emacs version you have)
and things get very confused. In all cases, cleaning up every last bit of org installation
from everywhere and reinstalling org from git should restore sanity. See also the [[id:facac2a6-3526-450d-ac42-8d36b16c6bab][next question]].
** I use starter-kit and I get an error =(void-function org-pop-to-buffer-same-window)=
This is a particular instance of the [[#invalid-function-error][previous question]] but with some twists and turns,
and a solution culled from various postings on the mailing list.
starter-kit loads the site-file version of org (the one that came with
your emacs install). Then when you load your init file, the local
version is added to the front of load-path, so it looks as if things
are originating there, but the damage is already done: you have a
"frankenstein" org.
One possible solution is to add (package-initialize) to the primary init.el
before starter-kit gets going. This will pick up the local install so
that the built-in version never enters to muddy the picture.
** (Filling a paragraph|Indenting a list|...) behaves strangely
Many filling/indenting problems have been reported on the mailing
list: many of those were bugs (that have been fixed), but quite a lot
are caused by people using the filladapt package, which is fundamentally
incompatible with Org, which has its own facilities for these tasks. If you see
strange behavior in this area, first check if you are using filladapt: visit an org
file and check the modeline for "Filladapt".
If filladapt is on, you want to turn it off before investigating
further. Anthony Lander suggested on the mailing list the following
method to turn off filladapt mode when you visit org files:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-off-filladapt-mode)
#+END_SRC
This should be placed in your .emacs (or other initialization file) after org
is loaded.
* Faces and highlighting
** Org-mode has a lot of colors? How can I change them?
#+INDEX: Faces
This is a question that applies to Emacs as a whole, but it comes up
quite frequently on the org-mode mailing list, so it is appropriate to
discuss it here.
If you would like to change the style of a face in org-mode (or any
other Emacs mode), simply type =M-x customize-face [RET]= while the
cursor is on the color/style you are interested in modifying. You will
be given the opportunity to customize all the faces located at that
point.
If you would like an overview of all the faces in org-mode, you can
type =C-u M-x list-faces-display [RET] org= and you will be shown all
the faces defined by org-mode along with an illustration of their
current settings.
If you would like to customize org-faces and other aspects of
org-appearance, type =M-x customize-group org-font-lock [RET]=.
Finally, if you would like verbose information about the properties of
the text under the cursor, you can type =C-u C-x ==.
See the Worg page on [[file:org-tutorials/org-appearance.org][customizing Org appearance]] for further information.
** Why do I get a tiny font in column view when using emacs daemon?
#+INDEX: Column view
When using emacs in daemon mode (=emacs --daemon=), client frames
sometimes override the column view face settings, resulting in very
small fonts. Here is a fix:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-column-view-uses-fixed-width-face ()
;; copy from org-faces.el
(when (fboundp 'set-face-attribute)
;; Make sure that a fixed-width face is used when we have a column
;; table.
(set-face-attribute 'org-column nil
:height (face-attribute 'default :height)
:family (face-attribute 'default :family))))
(when (and (fboundp 'daemonp) (daemonp))
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'org-column-view-uses-fixed-width-face))
#+END_SRC
This fix was provided in the following mailing list post:
[[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/27560]]
** How can I stop the mouse cursor from highlighting lines in the agenda?
#+INDEX: Highlighting
You can add the following to your =.emacs=:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'org-finalize-agenda-hook
(lambda () (remove-text-properties
(point-min) (point-max) '(mouse-face t))))
#+END_SRC
* Outline
** Can I close an outline section without starting a new section?
#+INDEX: Outline
Can I have nested, closed outline sections, similar to xml? This
question comes up quite frequently on the mailing list.
See the following threads:
- [[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/40182]]
- [[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/36719]]
- [[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/24092]]
- [[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/12425]]
The desired behavior looks something like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Section one
Some text
,** Subsection one
Some text
,** Subsection two
Some text
,# end Subsection Two
Continue text in section one.
#+END_SRC
The short answer to the question is no. Org-mode adheres to the
cascading logic of outlines, in which a section is closed only by
another section that occupies an equal or greater level.
Here are some workarounds:
1. You can use inline tasks to create non-folding subsections. See the
documentation in org-inlinetask.el, which is part of the org-mode
distribution.
2. You can create a temporary heading, such as "** Continue main
section" and then remove it when you are ready to export.
3. You can create a separate outline heading (e.g., * ACTIONS),
creating TODOs there with links to the relevant sections of your
main text.
** Can I add a TODO to a list item?
No. When generating agenda views, org-mode treats only headlines as TODO
items.
You can, however, use a status cookie together with checkboxes to
monitor your progress on a series of subtasks:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** TODO Big task [1/3]
- [X] Subtask 1
- [ ] Subtask 2
- [ ] Subtask 3
#+END_SRC
If you would like to embed a TODO within text without treating it as
an outline heading, you can use inline tasks. Simply add...
: (require 'org-inlinetask)
...to your =.emacs= and then type =C-c C-x t= to insert an inline task.
** Can I have two windows on the same Org-mode file, with different outline visibilities?
You may use /indirect buffers/ which do exactly this. See the
documentation on the command =make-indirect-buffer=.
Org-mode has built-in commands that allow you create an indirect
buffer from a subtree of an outline. To open a subtree in new
window, type =C-c C-x b=. Any changes you make in the new window
will be saved to the original file, but the visibility of both
buffers will remain independent of one another.
For multiple indirect buffers from the same file, you must use the
prefix =C-u= when creating the second (or third) buffer. Otherwise
the new indirect buffer will replace the old.
You can also create an independent view of an outline subtree by
typing =b= on an item in the agenda.
** Emacs outlines are unreadable. Can I get rid of all those stars?
See the section [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Clean-view.html#Clean-view][Clean outline view]] in the manual.
** C-k is killing whole subtrees! I lost my work!
=(setq org-ctrl-k-protect-subtree t)= before losing your work.
=(setq org-catch-invisible-edits 'show)= will also be helpful. See the
docstring of this option, as it allows more flexible options.
** Why aren't commands working on regions?
Some org-mode commands, such as M-right and M-left for demoting or
promoting headlines (see [[#demote-multiple-headlines][this FAQ]]), can be applied to entire
regions. These commands, however, will only work on active regions set
with [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Transient-Mark.html#Transient-Mark][transient mark mode]]. Transient mark mode is enabled by default in
Emacs 23. To enable it in earlier versions of emacs, put the following in
your =.emacs= file:
: (transient-mark-mode 1)
Alternatively, you may turn off transient mark mode and use [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Momentary-Mark.html][a momentary
mark]] (=C- C-=).
** Why is a blank line inserted after headlines and list items?
#+INDEX: Blank
In org-mode, typing =M-RET= at the end of a headline will create a new
headline of the same level on a new line. The same is true for plain
lists. By default org-mode uses context to determine if a blank line should
be inserted after each headline or plain list item when =M-RET= is
pressed. For instance, if a there is a blank line before a headline, then
typing =M-RET= at the end of the line will insert a blank line before the
new headline. For instance, hitting =M-RET= at the end of "Headline Two"
below inserts a new headline without a blank line:
: ** Headline One
: ** Headline Two
: **
If there is a blank line between Headline One and Headline Two,
however, the results will be as follows:
: ** Headline One
:
: ** Headline Two
:
: **
If you do not like the default behavior you can change it with the
variable =org-blank-before-new-entry=. You can set headings and/or
plain lists to auto (the default setting), t (always), or nil (never).
** How can I promote or demote multiple headlines at once?
#+INDEX: Promote!Multiple
#+INDEX: Demote!Multiple
If you have a long list of first level headlines that you'd like to
demote to second level headlines, you can select the headlines as a
region and then hit =M-= to demote all the headlines at once.
Note: =M-S-= will not work on a selected region. Its use is to
demote a single subtree (i.e., a headline and all sub-headlines).
If M- doesn't seem to work, make sure transient mark mode is
enabled. See [[#transient-mark-mode][this FAQ]].
** What's the deal with all the ellipses in my org outlines?
#+INDEX: Ellipsis
Org-mode uses ellipses to indicate folded (and thus hidden) text. Most
commonly, ellispes occur at the end of headings with folded content:
: * Heading ...
Or, for instance, they may indicate closed drawers:
: :PROPERTIES: ...
Sometimes, as a result of editing and cycling an outline, ellipses may
appear in unexpected places. You should *never* delete these ellipses,
as you may accidentally delete hidden text. Instead, you can type =C-c
C-r= (org-reveal) to display all hidden text in the vicinity. Or you
may type =M-x RET show-all= to reveal all text in the org file.
If you would prefer a symbol or face for indicating hidden text, you
can customize the variable org-ellipses.
** How do I yank a subtree so it's indented according to the point's location?
#+INDEX: Indentation
You can either use =C-c C-w= with a working [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Refiling-notes.html#Refiling-notes][refile-targets]] setup.
Or set =org-yank-adjusted-subtrees= to =t= which will adjust the
yanked headline's level correctly.
Just use =C-k= and =C-y= as you would everywhere else in Emacs.
** Can I read org-mode outlines in vim?
#+INDEX: Vim
Yes, there is a script that enables one to view and navigate folded
outline/org files in vim (though without most of org-mode's
functionality, of course).
- [[http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id%3D1266][Emacs outline mode - Imitates Emacsen : vim online]]
For instructions on how to set it up, please see [[http://mid.gmane.org/EA275862-B97A-4BAC-B879-177FD07A2D56@gaillourdet.net][this mailing list
post]].
Work is also underway on an org-mode clone for Vim. You can check it
out on git hub:
[[https://github.com/hsitz/VimOrganizer]]
** Can I use another character than "*" to start a headline?
No. The "*" character is used in =outline-mode=, and Org is derived from
=outline-mode=.
If you are curious as to what other rationales there are for "*", check out
[[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/44271][this]] mail and the thread it is in.
Even if you cannot use another character, you can add an overlay on top of
the "*" characters and your buffer will look like the way you want.
See the library =org-bullets.el= (by Evgeni Sabof) from the =contrib/=
directory, or test this snippet shared by Jambunathan:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(font-lock-add-keywords
'org-mode `(("\\(?:^\\(?1:\\*+\\)[[:blank:]]\\)"
(0 (progn (compose-region
(match-beginning 1) (match-end 1)
(pcase (length (match-string 1))
(1 ?\u2219)
(2 ?\u2022)
(3 ?\u25c9)
(_ ?\u25CB)))
nil)))))
#+END_SRC
* Todos and Tags
** How can I automatically archive canceled tasks?
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq org-todo-state-tags-triggers '(("CANCELLED" ("ARCHIVE" . t))))
#+END_SRC
See [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/64824]] -- thanks to Victor
Rosenfeld for sharing [[http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html][Bernt Hansen]]'s solution.
** How can I cycle through the TODO keyword of an entry?
#+INDEX: Cycling!Todo
=C-c C-t= or =S-= is what you need.
** How do I track state changes for tasks in Org?
#+INDEX: Logging
Take a look at the [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/6082][post by Bernt Hansen]] for setting up TODO keyword
states and logging timestamps for task state changes.
** Can I select the TODO keywords with a tag-like interface?
#+INDEX: Tag!Fast selection
Yes. Use =(setq org-use-fast-todo-selection t)=
If you want to set both your todos and your tags using a single
interface, then check out the variable
=org-fast-tag-selection-include-todo=.
See [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Fast-access-to-TODO-states.html][this section of the manual]] for more details.
** How can I quickly set the tag of an entry?
#+INDEX: Tag!Set
Use =C-c C-c= or =C-c C-q= on the headline. =C-c C-q= is useful for
setting tabs in a [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Remember.html#Remember][remember]] buffer, since =C-c C-c= is the default
keybinding for filing a note from the remember buffer.
You can set tags even more quickly by setting one of the character
shortcuts for [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Setting-tags.html#Setting-tags][fast tag selection]].
To set tag shortcuts for all org buffers, put something like the
following in your =.emacs= file (or create the same settings by
typing =M-x customize-variable RET org-tag-alist=):
: (setq org-tag-alist '(("computer" . ?c) ("office" . ?o) ("home" . ?h)))
To set tag shortcuts for a single buffer, put something like the
following at the top of your org file:
: #+TAGS: computer(c) office(o) home(h)
** How can I change the colors of TODO keywords?
#+INDEX: Faces!Todo
You can use the variable =org-todo-keyword-faces=. Here are some sample
settings:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq org-todo-keyword-faces
'(
("TODO" . (:foreground "firebrick2" :weight bold))
("WAITING" . (:foreground "olivedrab" :weight bold))
("LATER" . (:foreground "sienna" :weight bold))
("PROJECT" . (:foreground "steelblue" :weight bold))
("DONE" . (:foreground "forestgreen" :weight bold))
("MAYBE" . (:foreground "dimgrey" :weight bold))
("CANCELED" . shadow)
))
#+END_SRC
If you want to change the color of all active todos or all inactive todos,
type:
: M-x customize-face RET org-todo
: M-x customize-face RET org-done
You can also set values for each of these in your =.emacs= file:
: (set-face-foreground 'org-todo "firebrick2")
: (set-face-foreground 'org-done "forestgreen")
** Can I use a arbitrary character in a TODO keyword?
Yes, provided you add it to the "word" syntax in Emacs.
For example, to add the =\u25b6= and the =\u25b8= chars, just add this to
your Emacs configuration:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(modify-syntax-entry (string-to-char "\u25b6") "w")
(modify-syntax-entry (string-to-char "\u25b8") "w")))
#+END_SRC
** How do I arrange for an item to be automatically marked DONE when all checkboxes are checked?
#+INDEX: Checkbox
This has arisen a couple of time
(e.g. [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/42715]] and
[[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/47363]]) in the mailing list.
There is an [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-hacks.html#mark-done-when-all-checkboxes-checked][org-hack]] that describes a possible solution.
* Hyperlinks
** Why do I have to confirm the execution of each shell/elisp link?
#+INDEX: Link!Shell
#+INDEX: Link!Elisp
The confirmation is there to protect you from unwantingly execute
potentially dangerous commands. For example, imagine a link
: [[shell:rm -rf ~/*][Google Search]]
In an Org-mode buffer, this command would look like /Google Search/,
but really it would remove your home directory. If you wish, you can
make it easier to respond to the query by setting
: (setq org-confirm-shell-link-function 'y-or-n-p
: org-confirm-elisp-link-function 'y-or-n-p).
Then a single keypress will be enough to confirm those links. It is
also possible to turn off this check entirely, but I strongly
recommend against this. Be warned.
** Can I use RET or TAB to follow a link?
#+INDEX: Link!Follow
Yes, this is how:
: (setq org-return-follows-link t)
: (setq org-tab-follows-link t)
** Can I keep mouse-1 clicks from following a link?
Activating links with =mouse-1= is a new feature in Emacs 22, to make
link behavior similar to other applications like web browsers. If
you hold the mouse button down a bit longer, the cursor will be set
without following the link. If you cannot get used to this behavior,
you can (as in Emacs 21) use =mouse-2= to follow links and turn off
link activation for =mouse-1= with
: (setq org-mouse-1-follows-link nil)
** How can I get completion of file names when creating a link?
#+INDEX: Link!Completion
You can use org-insert-link with a prefix argument:
: C-u C-c C-l
You will be greeted with prompt in the minibuffer that allows for file
completion using your preferred Emacs method for finding files.
** How can I use invisible targets within lists?
#+INDEX: Target!Invisible
The usual way of turning radio links invisible is to comment them, but
Org comments need to be at the beginning of the line, which breaks list
indentation.
The workaround here is to add (INVISIBLE) after your <>
For example:
: 11. <>(INVISIBLE)
: Some text
: 12. More text [[target][go to]]
** Org-mode is not opening mailto links in my default mail client
#+INDEX: Link!Mailto
You can customize the function org-mode uses to open mailto links by
setting the variable =org-link-mailto-program=:
=M-x customize-variable org-link-mailto-program=
The default function called is =browse-url=, which opens a mail
composition buffer within Emacs. The type of buffer opened by
browse-url depends on the setting of the variable =mail-user-agent=.
Thus, if you want to ensure that mailto links use Gnus to open a
message buffer, you could add the following to your =.emacs=:
#+BEGIN_SRC elisp
(setq mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)
#+END_SRC
** Can I use CamelCase links?
#+INDEX: Link!CamelCase
Yes, you can with the contributed package =org-wikinodes.el=. Please
consult the [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-wikinodes.html][documentation]].
** Can I create links to Thunderbirds emails?
Yes, see this: [[http://mid.gmane.org/ka42mn$mn9$1@ger.gmane.org][from Christoph Herzog: Re: Linking to Thunderbird (correction)]]
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(require 'org)
(org-add-link-type "thunderlink" 'org-thunderlink-open)
(defun org-thunderlink-open (path)
"Opens an email in Thunderbird with ThunderLink."
(start-process "myname" nil "thunderbird" "-thunderlink" (concat "thunderlink:" path)))
(provide 'org-thunderlink)
#+END_SRC
* Plain Lists
** How can I insert an empty line before each newly inserted headline, but not before each newly inserted plain-list item?
: (setq org-blank-before-new-entry
: '((heading . t) (plain-list-item . nil))
See also [[id:2463F4D8-F686-4CF3-AA07-08976F8A4972][Why is a blank line inserted after headlines and list items?]].
** How can I convert itemized lists to enumerated lists?
#+INDEX: List!Itemized
#+INDEX: List!Enumerated
You can use =C-c -= or =S-/= to cycle through the various
bullet headlines available for lists: =-, +, *, 1., 1)=.
See [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Plain-lists.html#Plain-lists][this section of the manual]] for more information.
** How can I convert plain lists to headlines and vice versa?
#+INDEX: List!Plain
#+INDEX: Headline
To convert a plain list item or line to a headline, type =C-c *= on
the headline. This will make the line a subheading of the current
headline.
To convert a headline to a plain list item, type =C-c -= while the
cursor is on the headline.
To convert a headline to an unadorned line of text, type =C-c *= on
the headline.
You can use query replace to accomplish the same things, as Bernt
Hansen explains in [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/10148][this mailing list post]].
** Is there a good way to create a description list?
#+INDEX: List!Description
Yes, these are now built-in:
#+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
- item1 :: Description of this item 1
- item2 :: Description of this item 2
- item1 :: Description of this item 3
also in multiple lines
#+END_EXAMPLE
** How can I export alphabetical lists to... alphabetical lists?
=org-list-allow-alphabetical= allows you to use alphabetical lists in
Org, but this is purely visual, there is no effect on how the list is
exported. It is simply exported as an /ordered/ list, just like when
you use numberes. How the list will be represented in the export
depends on the backend. For example, the style file of a LaTeX
document, or the CSS file for HTML documents set how ordered lists
should be represented. It is good style to adhere to these general
settings because it keeps the overall document structure consistent.
See [[http://mid.gmane.org/87mwq6qtjk.fsf@gmail.com][this thread]] (and earlier ones) for a discussion about this.
* Tables
** Will there ever be support for multiple lines in a table field?
No.
You can embed tables created with the =table.el= package in org-mode
buffers, with mixed success when it comes to export and publishing.
** How can I make table alignment work with Asian character sets
#+INDEX: Table!Alignment
When table alignment fails, it usually has to do with character sets
where some characters have non-integer width. Org will deal correctly
with characters that are one or two or three ASCII characters wide,
but not with characters that are, for example, 1.5 ASCII characters
wide. To make table alignment work you need to switch to a different
character set.
** Can I plot data from a table?
#+INDEX: Table!Plot
#+INDEX: Table!Data
#+INDEX: Plot
Yes, you can, using org-plot.el written by Eric Schulte and now
bundled with Org. See [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Org_002dPlot.html#Org-Plot][the manual section about this]].
See also [[file:org-tutorials/org-plot.org][this excellent tutorial]] by Eric Schulte.
** How can I fill a table column with incremental numbers?
#+INDEX: Table!Fill
Here is how: Use a field formula to set the first value in the column:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
| N | |
|-----+---|
| :=1 | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
,#+TBLFM: @2$1=1
#+END_SRC
Then define a column formula in the second field:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
| N | |
|----------+---|
| 1 | |
| =@-1 + 1 | |
| | |
| | |
,#+TBLFM: @2$1=1
#+END_SRC
After recomputing the table, the column will be filled with
incremental numbers:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
| N | |
|---+---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
,#+TBLFM: $1=@-1 + 1::@2$1=1
#+END_SRC
Note that you could use arbitrary starting values and column formulas.
Alternatively, you can just start the table
#+BEGIN_SRC org
| N | |
|---+---|
| 1 | |
#+END_SRC
and with the cursor on the 1, use S-RET (bound to org-table-copy-down). That
will add a row, incrementing the number as it goes. See the docstring for org-table-copy-down
for more information and also see the next FAQ entry [[=S-RET= in a table keeps increasing the copied numbers. How can I stop this?]]
if you don't want this behavior.
** =S-RET= in a table keeps increasing the copied numbers. How can I stop this?
Well, it is /supposed/ to be a feature, to make it easy to create a
column with increasing numbers. If this gets into your way, turn it
off with
: (setq org-table-copy-increment nil)
** Why does my table column get filled with #ERROR?
#+INDEX: Table!#ERROR
Org-mode tried to compute the column from other fields using a
formula stored in the =#+TBLFM:= line just below the table, and
the evaluation of the formula fails. Fix the fields used in the
formula, or fix the formula, or remove it!
** How can I stop the table editor from creating new lines?
When I am in the last column of a table and just above a horizontal
line in the table, pressing TAB creates a new table line before the
horizontal line. To move to the line below the
horizontal line instead, do this:
Press =down= (to get on the separator line) and then =TAB=.
Or configure the variable
: (setq org-table-tab-jumps-over-hlines t)
** How can I get table fields starting with "="?
With the setting
: (setq org-table-formula-evaluate-inline nil)
this will no longer happen. You can still use formulas using the
commands ~C-c =~ and ~C-u C-c =~
** How can I get a vertical bar "|" inside a table field?
You can use =\vert= to put a vertical bar inside a table field. This
will be converted for export. To use it inside a word use
=abc\vert{}def=. If you need something that looks like a bar in the Org
mode buffer, you can use the unicode character brvbar which looks like
this: \brvbar{}.
** How can I change the indentation of an entire table without fixing every line by hand?
#+INDEX: Table!Indentation
The indentation of a table is set by the first line. So just fix the
indentation of the first line and realign with =TAB=.
** In my huge table the realigning after each TAB takes too long. What can I do?
#+INDEX: Table!Realign
Either split the table into several by inserting an empty line every
100 lines or so. Or turn off the automatic re-align with
: (setq org-table-automatic-realign nil)
After this the only way to realign a table is to press =C-c C-c=. It
will no longer happen automatically, removing the corresponding delays
during editing.
** Recalculation of my table takes too long. What can I do?
#+INDEX: Table!Calculation
Nothing, really. The spreadsheet in org is mostly done to make
calculations possible, not so much to make them fast. Since Org-mode is
firmly committed to the ASCII format, nothing is stopping you from
editing the table by hand. Therefore, there is no internal
representation of the data. Each time Org-mode starts a computation, it
must scan the table for special lines, find the fields etc. This is
slow. Furthermore, Calc is slow compared to hardware computations. To
make this work with normal editing, recalculation is not happening
automatically, or only for the current line, so that the long wait for a
full table iteration only happens when you ask for it.
So for really complex tables, moving to a "real" spreadsheet may
still be the best option.
That said, there are some ways to optimize things in Org-mode, and I
have been thinking about moving a bit further down this line.
However, for my applications this has so far not been an issue at
all. If you have a good case, you could try to convince me.
** When I export tables to HTML, they don't have borders.
#+INDEX: Table!HTML
By default, Org-mode exports tables without borders.
You can changed this by placing an =#+ATTR_HTML= line before the table:
: #+ATTR_HTML: :border 2 :rules all :frame all
See [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Tables-in-HTML-export.html#Tables-in-HTML-export][the manual]] for more details.
** Why does the Calc high precision (e. g. =p20=) not work like expected?
- *Short answer*
Avoid
: | 1 / 2 * 3 | 0.16666667000000 |
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1; p20 %.14f
and use
: | 1 / 2 * 3 | 0.16666666666667 |
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1 +.0; p20 f-14
- *Longer answer*
It is important to distinguish between the precision of
1. =p20=: Calc internal calculation (=calc-internal-prec=)
2. =f-14=: Calc float formatting, unlimited in precision (=calc-float-format=)
3. =%.14f=: the =printf= reformatting, limited in precision
See [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Formula-syntax-for-Calc.html#Formula-syntax-for-Calc][the Org manual]] (org-version 6.35 or newer) for more details.
Use =C-h v org-calc-default-modes RET= to check the Org default settings
which are used if no format specifiers are added to a table formula.
The examples below have been made with the out_of_the_box Org defaults
=calc-internal-prec = 12= and =calc-float-format = 8=.
Remember the formula debugger, toggled with =C-c {=,
to view the processing stages like:
| formula debugger label | processing stage |
|------------------------+----------------------------|
| Result: | output of Calc |
| Format: | reformatting with =printf= |
Following are some examples to demonstrate
the interaction of the three precisions.
- *display precision limitations for Calc formulas*
- limited by Calc internal calculation precision from Org default
(here =p12=)
: | 0.16666666666700 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; f-14
: | 0.1666666666670000000 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; f-19
- limited by Calc float format from Org default (here =f8=)
: | 0.16666667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3
: | 0.16666667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; p20
: | 0.16666667000000 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; %.14f
: | 0.16666667000000 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; p20 %.14f
- limited by Calc float format specified
: | 0.166667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; f-6
: | 0.16666666666667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; p20 f-14
: | 0.1666666666666666667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; p20 f-19
- limited by =printf= conversion to Emacs Lisp float
: | 0.1666666699999999900 | the inaccuracy is platform dependent |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; %.19f
: | 0.1666666699999999900 | the inaccuracy is platform dependent |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; p20 %.19f
: | 0.1666666666666666600 | the inaccuracy is platform dependent |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; p20 f-20 %.19f
- limited by =printf= format specified
: | 0.166667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = 1 / 2 * 3; %.6f
- *display precision limitations for Emacs Lisp formulas*
- limited by Emacs Lisp float
: | 0.16666666666666666 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = '(/ 1.0 (* 2 3))
: | 0.1666666666666666574 | the inaccuracy is platform dependent |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = '(/ 1.0 (* 2 3)); %.19f
- limited by =printf= format specified
: | 0.16666666666667 |
: #+TBLFM: $1 = '(/ 1.0 (* 2 3)); %.14f
This FAQ entry is based on this [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/22642][mailing list thread]]
and is continued in the [[#table-float-fraction][next FAQ entry]].
** Which float format shows the fraction part also when the latter is zero?
- *Short answer*
Avoid
: | 1 | 1 |
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1; f-3
and use
: | 1 | 1.000 |
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1 +.0; f-3
- *Longer answer*
For =f3= and =f-3= see =`d f' (`calc-fix-notation')= in [[http://www.delorie.com/gnu/docs/calc/calc.html#SEC_Top][the Calc manual]]
in the section Mode Settings -> Display Modes -> Float Formats
[[http://www.delorie.com/gnu/docs/calc/calc_163.html][found here as long as the section numbering is unchanged]].
Remember the formula debugger, toggled with =C-c {=,
to view the processing stages like:
| formula debugger label | processing stage |
|------------------------+----------------------------|
| Result: | output of Calc |
| Format: | reformatting with =printf= |
Following are some examples to demonstrate different float formats.
- normal precision
: |-----------+---------+-------+---------+----------+-------|
: | number | f3 | f-3 | +.0; f3 | +.0; f-3 | %.3f |
: |-----------+---------+-------+---------+----------+-------|
: | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
: | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
: |-----------+---------+-------+---------+----------+-------|
: | 1.0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
: | 0.0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
: |-----------+---------+-------+---------+----------+-------|
: | 1.0001666 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
: | 0.0001666 | 1.67e-4 | 0.000 | 1.67e-4 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
: |-----------+---------+-------+---------+----------+-------|
: | 1.0016666 | 1.002 | 1.002 | 1.002 | 1.002 | 1.002 |
: | 0.0016666 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
: |-----------+---------+-------+---------+----------+-------|
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1; f3 :: $3 = $1; f-3 :: $4 = $1 +.0; f3 :: $5 = $1 +.0; f-3 :: $6 = $1; %.3f
- high precision
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | number | f19 | f-19 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1 | 1 | 1 |
: | 0 | 0 | 0 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1.0 | 1.0000000000000000000 | 1.0000000000000000000 |
: | 0.0 | 0.0000000000000000000 | 0.0000000000000000000 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e19 | 1.0000000000000000000 | 1.0000000000000000000 |
: | 0 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e19 | 1.666666666666666667e-20 | 0.0000000000000000000 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e18 | 1.0000000000000000002 | 1.0000000000000000002 |
: | 0 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e18 | 0.0000000000000000002 | 0.0000000000000000002 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1; p20 f19 :: $3 = $1; p20 f-19
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | number | +.0; f19 | +.0; f-19 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1 | 1.0000000000000000000 | 1.0000000000000000000 |
: | 0 | 0.0000000000000000000 | 0.0000000000000000000 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1.0 | 1.0000000000000000000 | 1.0000000000000000000 |
: | 0.0 | 0.0000000000000000000 | 0.0000000000000000000 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e19 | 1.0000000000000000000 | 1.0000000000000000000 |
: | 0 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e19 | 1.666666666666666667e-20 | 0.0000000000000000000 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: | 1 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e18 | 1.0000000000000000002 | 1.0000000000000000002 |
: | 0 + 1 / 2 * 3 * 1e18 | 0.0000000000000000002 | 0.0000000000000000002 |
: |----------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------|
: #+TBLFM: $2 = $1 +.0; p20 f19 :: $3 = $1 +.0; p20 f-19
The =printf= reformatting (=%.19f=) cannot be used with high precision,
see the [[#table-high-precision][previous FAQ entry]].
** How can I center tables in LaTeX output?
#+INDEX: Table!Center
Set the `org-latex-tables-centered' to `t':
: (defcustom org-latex-tables-centered t
: "When non-nil, tables are exported in a center environment."
: :group 'org-export-latex
: :type 'boolean)
** Can I exclude columns from a table when exporting it?
No.
* Markup
** How can I get automatic renumbering of footnotes in org-mode?
#+INDEX: Footnotes!Renumbering
You can add the following line to your .emacs file:
: (setq org-footnote-auto-adjust t)
Or, if you prefer, you can turn this option on locally by placing the
following line at the top of your org file:
: #+STARTUP: fnadjust
When auto-adjust is turned on, footnotes in the file with numerical
labels will be renumbered whenever a new footnote is added. Meanwhile,
all footnotes, including those with custom labels such
=[fn:custom-label ]=, will be sorted in the order of their appearance
in the text.
This emulates the footnote behavior that many users may be familiar
with from word-processing programs or from the footnote-mode included
with emacs.
If you do not turn on org-footnote-auto-adjust, you sort and/or
renumber footnotes at any time by calling org-footnote-action with a
prefix argument.
** Why isn't auto renumbering of footnotes turned on by default?
Org-mode has a very robust footnote mechanism allowing for a variety of
types of footnotes. With some of the following footnote notations,
auto-adjust may be either irrelevant or undesired:
- Automatically numbered
- Footnotes with custom labels
- Inline footnotes
In addition, Org-mode can be customized to place footnotes either at
the end of a document or at the end of the outline heading in which
they appear. Users who change this setting while editing a document
may be disconcerted to find all of their footnotes rearranged
automatically.
** I have auto-fill-mode set and org-mode is inserting unwanted comment markers!
If the following occurs:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,#+OPTIONS: toc:nil
Some entered text.
,# More entered tex.
#+END_SRC
Make sure that the variable comment-start is nil.
** Are there any shortcuts for entering source blocks and comment lines?
Org-mode has some [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Literal-examples.html#Literal-examples][very convenient markup]] for including literal blocks and
lines of code in a file. (This is especially useful when exporting
documents or using the contributed package [[file:org-contrib/babel/index.org][org-babel]] for executing blocks
of code.)
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,#+begin_src perl
print "Hello, world!\n";
,#+end_src
#+END_SRC
It can be tiresome to enter the block comment lines manually. There are
several possible shortcuts you can use to enter them:
1. Built-in expansion
- Org-mode has a "secret" method of expanding source code blocks
and comment lines.
- If you type "
The "-2d" above changes the lead time for this deadline warning to two
days in advance. You can also use "w" for weeks and "m" for months.
** How can I postpone a task until a certain date?
#+INDEX: Postpone
The easiest way to postpone a task is to schedule it in the future. For
instance, typing =C-c C-s +2w= on a headline will push a task two weeks
into the future, so that it won't show up on the daily agenda until two
weeks from now.
If you'd like to prevent the task from showing up on your global todo list,
you have a couple of options.
1. You can set the variable =org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled= to
=t=. This will exclude any scheduled items from your global list of
active todos (=C-c a t=). (The variable
=org-agenda-todo-ignore-with-date= will exclude both scheduled and
deadline items from your todo list).
2. You can remove the todo keyword from the item (C-c C-t ). The item
will still appear on your agenda two weeks from today, but it won't show
up on your todo lists.
** Can I send myself an email containing tasks or other agenda info?
Yes. See [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/6112][this thread]] on the list.
** How can I limit the agenda view to my "work" tasks?
#+INDEX: FILETAGS
It is often convenient to group org files into separate categories, such
as "home" and "work" (or "personal" and "professional"). One of the main
reasons for such classification is to create agenda views that are
limited by type of work or area of responsibility. For instance, while
at work, one may want to see only professional tasks; while away from
work, one may want to see only personal tasks.
One way to categorize files and tasks is to use a "#+FILETAGS"
declaration at the top of each file, such as:
: #+FILETAGS: work
As long as org-use-tag-inheritance is turned on, the filetags will
be inherited by all tasks in the file. A file can have multiple
filetags. And, of course, tags can be added to individual headings.
Tasks can be quickly filtered by tag from within the agenda by
typing "/" and the name of the tag. The full key sequence to filter
for work items in an agenda view would be:
: C-c a a / work [or a tag shortcut]
** How can I limit the agenda view to a particular category?
#+INDEX: Agenda view!Category
Another way to filter agenda views by type of work is to use a
"#+CATEGORY" declaration at the top of each file, such as:
: #+CATEGORY: work
Categories can also be added to individual headings within a file:
: * Big project
: :PROPERTIES:
: :CATEGORY: work
: :END:
All todos belonging to the category "work" can be found a with a
simple tags-todo search:
: C-c a M
At the prompt, type:
: CATEGORY="work"
The same results can be achieved with custom agenda commands, such as:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("h" tags-todo "CATEGORY=\"home\"")
("w" tags-todo "CATEGORY=\"work\"")
;; other custom agenda commands here
))
#+END_SRC
** How can include all org files in a directory in my agenda?
#+INDEX: Agenda!Directory
You can simply include the directory (as one of the items) in the value of
the variable org-agenda-files:
: (setq org-agenda-files '("/my/special/path/org/"))
There is another way of accomplishing the same end:
: (setq org-agenda-files (file-expand-wildcards "/my/special/path/org/*.org"))
** Why aren't items disappearing from my agenda once they are marked done?
If items remain on your daily/weekly agenda after they are marked done,
check the configuration of the following variables:
: org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done
: org-agenda-skip-deadline-if-done
: org-agenda-skip-timestamp-if-done
For instance, type:
: M-x customize-variable RET org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done
If this variable is turned off (=nil=), then scheduled items will
remain on the agenda even after they are marked done.
If the variable is turned on (=t=), then scheduled items will
disappear from the agenda after they are marked done.
If these settings seem not to behave the way you expect, then make
sure you understand [[#scheduled-vs-deadline-vs-timestamp][the difference between SCHEDULED, DEADLINE, and
timestamps]].
** How do I keep repeating timestamps from being displayed multiple times?
#+INDEX: Timestamp!Repeating
To show only the /current/ instance of a repeating timestamp, put the
following in your .emacs:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq org-agenda-repeating-timestamp-show-all nil)
#+END_SRC
** What is the difference between SCHEDULED, DEADLINE, and plain timestamps?
#+INDEX: SCHEDULED
#+INDEX: DEADLINE
#+INDEX: Timestamp
1. SCHEDULED items (set with =C-c C-s=) will appear on your agenda on
the day they are scheduled and on every day thereafter until they
are done. Schedule a task if you want to be reminded to do
something beginning on a certain day and until it is done.
: ** TODO Scheduled item
: SCHEDULED: <2009-03-01 Sun>
2. Items with a DEADLINE timestamp (set with =C-c C-d=) appear on your
agenda in advance of the when they are due and remain on your
agenda until they are done. Add a DEADLINE to an item if you want
to make sure to complete it by a certain date. (The variable
org-deadline-warning-days determines how far in advance items with
deadlines will show up in the agenda. See [[#warning-period-for-deadlines][this FAQ]] for more
information.)
: ** TODO Item with a deadline
: DEADLINE: <2009-01-20 Tue>
3. An active timestamp (set with =C-c .=) will appear on your agenda
only on the day it is scheduled. Use a timestamp for appointments
or any reminders you want to show up only on a particular day.
: ** TODO Item with an active timestamp
: <2009-04-18 Sat>
Note: items with inactive timestamps (set with C-c ! and marked by
square brackets) will not show up in the agenda at all.
** Can I add files recursively to my list of agenda files?
Yes, you can use the library =find-lisp=.
: (load-library "find-lisp")
: (setq org-agenda-files (find-lisp-find-files "~/org" "\.org$"))
This will add all files ending in =org= in the directory "~/org"
and all of its subdirectories to your list of agenda files.
If on a *nix machine, you can also use the find utility, which can be
faster than the find-lisp library:
: (setq org-agenda-files
: (mapcar 'abbreviate-file-name
: (split-string
: (shell-command-to-string "find ~/org -name \"*.org\"") "\n")))
See [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/8992][this thread]] on the mailing list for more information.
** Why does an item appearing at the wrong time of day in my agenda?
When preparing the agenda view, org-mode scans each relevant headline for a
time designation. This approach is very nice for adding free-form
timestamps to an item for scheduling. Thus, either of the following work
would work to schedule an item at 10:00am:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** 10:00am Get dried ice at the magic store
SCHEDULED: <2009-05-27 Wed>
#+END_SRC
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Get dried ice at the magic store
SCHEDULED: <2009-05-27 Wed 10:00>
#+END_SRC
To enable this flexibility, org-mode scans the entire headline for time of
day notation. A potential problem can arise if you use inactive timestamps
in the headline to note when an item was created. For example :
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Get dried ice at the magic store [2009-05-26 Tue 12:58]
SCHEDULED: <2009-05-27 Wed>
#+END_SRC
Org-mode would interpret the time in the inactive timestamp as a
time-of-day indicator and the entry would appear in your agenda at
12:58.
If you would like to turn off the time-of-day search, you can configure the
variable =org-agenda-search-headline-for-time= (requires org-mode >= 6.24).
** How can I change the visibility of an item from the agenda?
#+INDEX: Agenda!Visibility
You can add a keybinding as follows:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook 'org-agenda-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(define-key org-agenda-mode-map " " 'org-agenda-cycle-show)))
#+END_SRC
Then, as you press SPACE on an item on the agenda, it will cycle the
visibility of its original location.
** Is there any way to set org-mode so that tags don't appear in the agenda view?
See the =org-agenda-remove-tags= variable.
** I work late at night! How can I extend my current day past midnight?
If you work past midnight, you may not want your daily agenda view to
switch to the next day at 12 a.m. (the default). To extend your day, simply
set the value of org-extend-today-until to a positive number corresponding
to the number of hours you work past midnight. For example, the following
setting will cause the current day to extend until 6 a.m.
: (setq org-extend-today-until 6)
* Appointments/Diary
** Is it possible to include entries from org-mode files into my emacs diary?
#+INDEX: Diary
Since the org-mode agenda is much more powerful and can contain the
diary, you should think twice before deciding to do this. If you
insist, however, integrating Org-mode information into the diary is
possible. You need to turn on /fancy diary display/ by setting in
.emacs:
: (add-hook 'diary-display-hook 'diary-fancy-display)
Then include the following line into your ~/diary file, in
order to get the entries from all files listed in the variable
=org-agenda-files=
: &%%(org-diary)
You may also select specific files with
: &%%(org-diary) ~/path/to/some/org-file.org
: &%%(org-diary) ~/path/to/another/org-file.org
If you now launch the calendar and press ~d~ to display a
diary, the headlines of entries containing a timestamp, date range,
schedule, or deadline referring to the selected date will be listed.
Just like Org-mode's agenda view, the diary for /today/ contains
additional entries for overdue deadlines and scheduled items. See
also the documentation of the =org-diary= function. Under XEmacs, it
is not possible to jump back from the diary to the org, this works
only in the agenda buffer.
** I want to add my Org scheduled/deadlined entries in my diary!
Put this in your ~/.diary:
: &%%(org-diary :scheduled :timestamp :deadline)
** How can I set up automatic reminders based on Org information?
#+INDEX: Reminders
See [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/5271][this post]] by N. Dokos on the list. See also Russell Adams's hack in
[[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-hacks.html#org-agenda-appt-zenity][org-hacks]].
** How can I make =appt= notice my Org appointments?
#+INDEX: Appointment
#+INDEX: Appt
: M-x org-agenda-to-appt RET
** How can I create more complex appointments in my org-files?
#+INDEX: Appointment
Org-mode's active timestamps work very well for scheduling individual
or recurring appointments, such as:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* 8:00am Dentist appointment <2009-01-16 Fri>
#+END_SRC
or
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Vacation
<2009-03-20 Fri>--<2009-04-01 Wed>
#+END_SRC
or
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Weekly meeting with boss
<2009-01-20 Tue 14:00 +1w>
#+END_SRC
Sometimes, however, you need to set up more complicated recurring
appointments. Org-mode has built-in support for many of [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Sexp-Diary-Entries.html][the powerful sexp
entries]] that work in [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Diary.html#Diary][Emacs diary]].
Let's say, for instance, that you teach a class that meets every Monday
evening between February 16 and April 20, 2009. The way to enter this an
org-mode file is:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Class 7:00pm-9:00pm
#+END_SRC
The expression above designates all Mondays that fall between February
16 and April 20. How exactly does it work?
- (and... :: Indicates that *both* of the conditions that follow have
to be true.
- (= 1 (calendar-day-of-week date)) :: Is the day of the week a
Monday?
- Note: the function calendar-day-of-week converts the date to the day of week
expressed in numeric form, where 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, and so on.
- (diary-block 2 16 2009 4 20 2009) :: Does the date fall between
these two dates?
You can make a sexp as complex as you like. If you wanted to omit a week
because of holidays, for instance, you could add another condition to the
sexp:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Class 7:00pm-9:00pm
#+END_SRC
The sexp above would omit Monday during the week of March 9, 2009. For
another way to accomplish the same thing, see [[#org-class][this FAQ]].
Another diary function commonly used for more complex scheduling is
diary-float. For instance,
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Monthly meeting
#+END_SRC
... would appear on the third Wednesday of every month.
For more ideas on how to create diary special expressions, see [[http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/DiaryMode][this
page on the Emacs wiki]].
** How can I schedule a weekly class that lasts for a limited period of time?
Org-mode offers a convenient diary sexp function for setting up a recurring
appointment that lasts for a certain period of time, such as a class. It is
called org-class and it can be entered as follows:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Class 7:00pm-9:00pm
#+END_SRC
The function above schedules an appointment for every Monday (1)
between February 16 and April 20, 2009, except for ISO week 10 (March
1 to March 7).
If you would prefer not to place the timestamp in the headline, you can use
the following format:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Class
7:00pm-9:00pm Class
#+END_SRC
In this case, the string following the sexp will be displayed in the
agenda.
The function org-class has the following format:
: (org-class Y1 M1 D1 Y2 M2 D2 DAYNAME &rest SKIP-WEEKS)
Y1/2, M1/2, and D1/2 indicate the beginning and ending dates. DAYNAME takes
the form of a number indicating the day of the week (0 = Sunday, 1 =
Monday, and so on...). In addition, one can add an optional argument
SKIP-WEEKS to indicate weeks on the calendar that should be skipped. This
argument should be expressed as an ISO week number. You can find the number
by invoking emacs' built-in calendar (=M-x calendar=), navigating to the
appropriate week, and typing =p c (calendar-iso-print-date)=. If one of
the SKIP-WEEKS is the symbol =holidays=, then any holidays known to the
calendar are also skipped.
Here is an alternative method, shared by Paul Sexton on the org mailing
list:
Let's say you are taking night classes in Spanish. The class is every
Wednesday evening at 7pm, starting on 18 August, and runs for 8
weeks. Org-mode's timestamps do not support limited occurrences of
recurrent items -- you have to schedule the item with infinite recurrences,
then delete it when it finishes.
To schedule the Spanish classes, put the following in your =.emacs=:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun diary-limited-cyclic (recurrences interval m d y)
"For use in emacs diary. Cyclic item with limited number of recurrences.
Occurs every INTERVAL days, starting on YYYY-MM-DD, for a total of
RECURRENCES occasions."
(let ((startdate (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian (list m d y)))
(today (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian date)))
(and (not (minusp (- today startdate)))
(zerop (% (- today startdate) interval))
(< (floor (- today startdate) interval) recurrences))))
#+END_SRC
The item in the org file looks like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** 19:00-21:00 Spanish lessons
#+END_SRC
** How can I set an event to occur every day except Saturday and Sunday?
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,** Daily meeting
#+END_SRC
** How do I schedule events relative to Easter Sunday?
Easter's date moves around from year to year according to a complicated
set of criteria which I do not claim to understand. However the
following code will allow you to schedule recurring events relative to
Easter Sunday.
Note: the function da-easter is from [[http://github.com/soren/elisp/blob/master/da-kalender.el][da-kalender.el]].
Put the following in your .emacs:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun da-easter (year)
"Calculate the date for Easter Sunday in YEAR. Returns the date in the
Gregorian calendar, ie (MM DD YY) format."
(let* ((century (1+ (/ year 100)))
(shifted-epact (% (+ 14 (* 11 (% year 19))
(- (/ (* 3 century) 4))
(/ (+ 5 (* 8 century)) 25)
(* 30 century))
30))
(adjusted-epact (if (or (= shifted-epact 0)
(and (= shifted-epact 1)
(< 10 (% year 19))))
(1+ shifted-epact)
shifted-epact))
(paschal-moon (- (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian
(list 4 19 year))
adjusted-epact)))
(calendar-dayname-on-or-before 0 (+ paschal-moon 7))))
(defun da-easter-gregorian (year)
(calendar-gregorian-from-absolute (da-easter year)))
(defun calendar-days-from-easter ()
"When used in a diary sexp, this function will calculate how many days
are between the current date (DATE) and Easter Sunday."
(- (calendar-absolute-from-gregorian date)
(da-easter (calendar-extract-year date))))
#+END_SRC
Now we can schedule the public holidays associated with Easter as
recurring events. Good Friday is 2 days before "Easter", Easter Monday
is one day after.
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Good Friday
,* Easter Sunday
,* Easter Monday
#+END_SRC
[Source: Posted by Paul Sexton on Org-mode mailing list.]
** How to schedule public holiday that is "the nearest Monday to DATE"?
In New Zealand each regional capital has an "Anniversary Day". The date
of Auckland's anniversary day is "the nearest Monday to 29 January".
Put this in your =.emacs=:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun calendar-nearest-to (target-dayname target-day target-month)
"Recurring event that occurs in the nearest TARGET-DAYNAME to
the date TARGET-DAY, TARGET-MONTH each year."
(interactive)
(let* ((dayname (calendar-day-of-week date))
(target-date (list target-month target-day (calendar-extract-year date)))
(days-diff (abs (- (calendar-day-number date)
(calendar-day-number target-date)))))
(and (= dayname target-dayname)
(< days-diff 4))))
#+END_SRC
Now we can schedule Auckland Anniversary Day. The first argument, 1,
means Monday (days of the week are numbered starting with Sunday=0).
[Source: Originally posted by Paul Sexton on Org-mode mailing list.]
** How to schedule public holiday on "the 4th Monday in October"?
#+INDEX: Holiday
This does not require any additions to =.emacs=:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Labour Day (NZ)
#+END_SRC
** Why isn't the agenda showing all the times I put under a single entry?
Probably because you have not set the following variable:
: org-agenda-skip-additional-timestamps-same-entry
The default value of this variable is t, which means that entries with
multiple timestamps, such as the following...
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* Work really, really hard
<2010-11-20 Sat 10:00>
<2010-11-20 Sat 14:00>
#+END_SRC
... will only appear in the agenda at the time specified by the first
timestamp. If you set =org-agenda-skip-additional-timestamps-same-entry= to
nil, the item will appear will appear at all the times you specify.
** Can I import iCal events/appts from Gnus?
#+INDEX: iCal
#+INDEX: Gnus
Yes. Vagn Johansen wrote [[http://ozymandias.dk/emacs/org-import-calendar.el][org-import-calendar.el]] which lets you do this.
* Export
** How do I ignore a headline?
This is one of the most common FAQs on the Org mailing list. The
following export filter will allow headlines tagged =ignore= to be
ignored during export, while their contents and children headlines
are retained and children headlines are promoted to the level of
the original headline. Alternately, a more in depth discussion
with a variety of alternate solutions is available in org-hacks
[[file:org-hacks.org::#ignoreheadline][here]].
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; During export headlines which have the "ignore" tag are removed
;; from the parse tree. Their contents are retained (leading to a
;; possibly invalid parse tree, which nevertheless appears to function
;; correctly with most export backends) all children headlines are
;; retained and are promoted to the level of the ignored parent
;; headline.
;;
;; This makes it possible to add structure to the original Org-mode
;; document which does not effect the exported version, such as in the
;; following examples.
;;
;; Wrapping an abstract in a headline
;;
;; * Abstract :ignore:
;; #+LaTeX: \begin{abstract}
;; #+HTML:

;;
;; ...
;;
;; #+HTML:

;; #+LaTeX: \end{abstract}
;;
;; Placing References under a headline (using ox-bibtex in contrib)
;;
;; * References :ignore:
;; #+BIBLIOGRAPHY: dissertation plain
;;
;; Inserting an appendix for LaTeX using the appendix package.
;;
;; * Appendix :ignore:
;; #+LaTeX: \begin{appendices}
;; ** Reproduction
;; ...
;; ** Definitions
;; #+LaTeX: \end{appendices}
;;
(defun org-export-ignore-headlines (data backend info)
"Remove headlines tagged \"ignore\" retaining contents and promoting children.
Each headline tagged \"ignore\" will be removed retaining its
contents and promoting any children headlines to the level of the
parent."
(org-element-map data 'headline
(lambda (object)
(when (member "ignore" (org-element-property :tags object))
(let ((level-top (org-element-property :level object))
level-diff)
(mapc (lambda (el)
;; recursively promote all nested headlines
(org-element-map el 'headline
(lambda (el)
(when (equal 'headline (org-element-type el))
(unless level-diff
(setq level-diff (- (org-element-property :level el)
level-top)))
(org-element-put-property el
:level (- (org-element-property :level el)
level-diff)))))
;; insert back into parse tree
(org-element-insert-before el object))
(org-element-contents object)))
(org-element-extract-element object)))
info nil)
data)
(add-hook 'org-export-filter-parse-tree-functions 'org-export-ignore-headlines)
#+END_SRC
** My old beamer presentations does not look the same with =ox-beamer.el=
#+INDEX: Export!Beamer
The new beamer introduced a few backwards incompatible changes.
Some of these are discussed [[file:exporters/beamer/ox-beamer.org::#backwards-compatibility][here]]. If you think the discussion can
be improved, please share your thoughts on the mailing list; better
yet, improve the entry on Worg!
** How can I export as or how can I transform the export output using filters
#+INDEX: Export!Filters
It is often useful to be able to make small tweaks to the export
output by using filters.
There have been a lot of requests like this on the mailing list
lately. Often a user wants to export an image in different ways
during LaTeX export; or export different image files for different
backends. All these can be easily achieved by using export
filters. You can look at [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/74876][this example]] on the mailing list. For a
more general discussion on the "new" export engine, including a
description of filters and how they work, see Nicolas Goaziou's
[[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/65574][announcement]]: it is very much worth reading in its entirety (except
for the section on users of the experimental version who are by now
extinct - as is the experimental version.)
** Can I get TODO items exported to HTML as lists, rather than as headlines?
#+INDEX: Export!HTML
If you plan to use ASCII or HTML export, make sure things you want to
be exported as item lists are level 4 at least, even if that does
mean there is a level jump. For example:
: * Todays top priorities
: **** TODO write a letter to xyz
: **** TODO Finish the paper
: **** Pick up kids at the school
Alternatively, if you need a specific value for the heading/item
transition in a particular file, use the =#+OPTIONS= line to
configure the H switch.
: #+OPTIONS: H:2; ...
** Can I export only a single subtree?
#+INDEX: Export!Subtree
If you want to export a subtree, mark the subtree as region and then
export. Marking can be done with =C-c @ C-x C-x=, for example.
Alternatively, you can select option =1= in the org export dispatcher
(e.g.., =C-c C-e 1 h= to export the current subtree to html).
By default, the title of the exported file will be set to the heading
of the subtree. You can, however, [[#export-options-for-subtree][customize the title and other export
options]].
** How can I customize export options for a single subtree?
#+INDEX: Export!Options
You can set unique export options for a [[#export-single-subtree][single subtree]] by using
properties. Relevant properties include:
- =EXPORT_TITLE=
- =EXPORT_AUTHOR=
- =EXPORT_DATE=
- =EXPORT_FILE_NAME=
- =EXPORT_OPTIONS= (corresponds to the =#+OPTIONS:= [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Export-options.html#Export-options][configuration line]])
** How can I tell my calendar web application about appointments in my agenda files?
Here is what you need to do:
1. a script that calls Emacs in batch mode and produce a .ics file
2. a script that uploads this .ics file somewhere on the web
3. tell your webapp to fetch this .ics file on the web
Here is the script I use for the first step:
#+BEGIN_SRC shell-script-mode
#!/bin/bash
/usr/local/bin/emacs --batch --eval \
"(progn (load-file \"~/install/git/org-mode/org.el\") \
(load-file \"~/elisp/config/org-batch-config.el\") \
(setq org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file \"~/org/cal/org.ics\")
(setq org-agenda-files (quote (\"~/org/bzg.org\"))))" \
-f org-export-icalendar-combine-agenda-files
#+END_SRC
Depending on your configuration, you might change the load sequence.
Here is the script I use for the second step:
#+BEGIN_SRC shell-script-mode
#!/bin/bash
/usr/bin/rsync -rtv ~/org/org.ics -e ssh me@my_server:/home/me/public_html/
#+END_SRC
Note: if you want to cron this rsync script, you will need to let
=my_server= to know about your SSH public key. Check [[http://troy.jdmz.net/rsync/index.html][this page]] as a
starter.
Now you can cron the two scripts above and your webapp will always be
up to date with your Org agendas.
Also see [[http://orgmode.org/org.html#Exporting-Agenda-Views][Exporting agenda views]] from Org manual.
** How can I get Mac OSX 10.3 iCal to import my org-exported .ics files?
#+INDEX: .ics
#+INDEX: iCal!Mac OSX 10.3
When using iCal under Apple MacOS X Tiger, you can create a new C-e c=,
see the variables =org-icalendar-combined-name= and
=org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file=). Then set Org-mode to overwrite
the corresponding file /~/Library/Calendars/OrgMode.ics/. You may even
use AppleScript to make iCal re-read the calendar files each time a new
version of /OrgMode.ics/ is produced. Here is the setup needed for
this:
: (setq org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file
: "~/Library/Calendars/OrgMode.ics")
: (add-hook 'org-after-save-iCalendar-file-hook
: (lambda ()
: (shell-command
: "osascript -e 'tell application \"iCal\" to reload calendars'")))
** How can I get Mac OSX 10.4 or later iCal to import my Org-exported .ics files?
#+INDEX: iCal!Mac OSX 10.4
For Mac OS X 10.4, you need to write the ics file to
=/Library/WebServer/Documents/= and then subscribe iCalendar to =http:
//localhost/orgmode.ics=
** How can I remove timestamps and todo keywords from my exported file?
#+INDEX: Export!Timestamps
#+INDEX: Export!Todo keywords
You can place an options line at the top of your org file:
: #+OPTIONS: = object, resulting in an HTML output
that preserves the general look of your Org buffers and agenda views.
Let's say you generate an export from the command line, such as the
following:
: emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "e")'
or
: emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-publish-all)'
In such an instance, the exported HTML will contain only very basic
color styles. The reason is that when Emacs is run in batch mode, it
does not have a display and therefore only rudimentary face
definitions. If you'd like to use more complex styles, you'll have to
make sure that the export process only assigns classes instead of
direct color values. This can be done by binding the variable
=org-export-htmlize-output-style= to =css= for the duration of the
export, for example with
: emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs
: -eval '(let ((org-export-htmlize-generate-css (quote css)))
: (org-batch-agenda "e"))'
Then you can use a style file to make these classes look any way you
like. To generate face definitions for a CSS file based on any faces
you are currently using in Emacs, you can use the following command:
: M-x org-export-htmlize-generate-css RET
This will generate a == section, the content of
which you can add to your style file.
** How can I avoid dark color background when exporting agenda to ps format?
#+INDEX: Export!.ps
Add this to your .emacs and evaluate it.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq org-agenda-exporter-settings
'((ps-print-color-p 'black-white)))
#+END_SRC
** How can I include e.g. an abstract in export to Latex and HTML?
#+INDEX: Export!Abstract
Org does not currently have special markup for abstracts, but for
export purposes, you can extend the block-level structural and
semantic markup in Org with the contributed package [[file:org-contrib/org-special-blocks.org][org-special-blocks]]
(by Chris Gray). To turn it on, put this in your =.emacs=:
: (require 'org-special-blocks)
Now, you can mark up the abstract of your article like this:
: #+BEGIN_ABSTRACT
: Falling apples were observed and compared with pears. Newton's laws
: were confirmed at the 95% confidence level.
: #+END_ABSTRACT
Exporting to Latex wraps this in a
=\begin{abstract}....\end{abstract}= environment, which just works.
HTML export wraps it in a ~

...

~
element. The HTML result won't look like anything special until you
style it. Here is some sample CSS to get you started; put these in
your document header:
: #+STYLE:
Generally, =#+begin_foo= will work for any simple Latex =foo=
environment not supported by existing Org markup.
If you need to pass parameters, process the block content in some way,
or support other exporters, you may want to consider whether you can
customize it using Eric Schulte's [[file:org-contrib/org-exp-blocks.org][org-exp-blocks]] instead.
** How can I get colored source code when exporting to LaTeX?
#+INDEX: Export!LaTeX
As of Sun Aug 9 2009 the "current" version of Org-mode (see
[[#keeping-current-with-Org-mode-development]]) supports exporting source
code to LaTeX using the listings package.
To turn on listing export add the following to your Org-mode
customization.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; requite org-latex so that the following variables are defined
(require 'ox-latex)
;; tell org to use listings
(setq org-latex-listings t)
;; you must include the listings package
(add-to-list 'org-latex-packages-alist '("" "listings"))
;; if you want colored source code then you need to include the color package
(add-to-list 'org-latex-packages-alist '("" "color"))
#+END_SRC
The listings package will now be used to fontify source code in your
LaTeX documents. By default listings will not color any of your
source code. If you would like to set colors for keywords and
comments in your latex documents you can do so using LaTeX directives
like the following.
#+BEGIN_SRC latex
\lstset{keywordstyle=\color{blue},
commentstyle=\color{red},
stringstyle=\color{green}
}
#+END_SRC
of if you want to get even fancier with your colors you can try
something like the following
#+BEGIN_SRC latex
\definecolor{keywords}{RGB}{255,0,90}
\definecolor{comments}{RGB}{60,179,113}
\definecolor{fore}{RGB}{249,242,215}
\definecolor{back}{RGB}{51,51,51}
\lstset{
basicstyle=\color{fore},
keywordstyle=\color{keywords},
commentstyle=\color{comments},
backgroundcolor=\color{back}
}
#+END_SRC
For more complex listings use cases consult the [[ftp://ftp.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/listings/listings.pdf][listings manual]].
** How can I export to Latex Beamer?
#+INDEX: Export!Beamer
The latex [[http://latex-beamer.sourceforge.net/][Beamer Class]] is a useful class for generating slide shows.
The following can be used to export Org-mode documents to LaTeX
beamer.
Add the following to your Emacs initialization file.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(unless (boundp 'org-latex-classes)
(setq org-latex-classes nil))
(add-to-list 'org-latex-classes
'("beamer"
"\\documentclass[11pt]{beamer}\n\\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}\n\\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}\n\\usepackage{hyperref}\n\\usepackage{verbatim}\n"
("\\section{%s}" . "\\section*{%s}")
("\\begin{frame}\\frametitle{%s}" "\\end{frame}"
"\\begin{frame}\\frametitle{%s}" "\\end{frame}")))
#+END_SRC
Then by placing
: #+LaTeX_CLASS: beamer
in the header of your Org-mode document it will automatically export
to the Beamer document class on LaTeX export. With the above
configuration top-level headers will be mapped to sections in the
Beamer document, second-level headers will be mapped to frames, and
lower level headlines will be mapped to itemize objects.
This above is adapted from an [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/15077/match=beamer+dokos][email by Nick Dokos]], and an [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/17767/match=beamer+dokos][email by
Thomas Dye]]. For a much more complex Beamer setup see the [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/17767/match=beamer+dokos][email by
Thomas Dye]].
** How can I use RefTeX in Org-mode files for LaTeX export and in Org-babel LaTeX code blocks?
#+INDEX: RefTeX
#+INDEX: Babel
#+INDEX: Code blocks
[[http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/reftex.html][RefTeX]] is an indispensable tool for the author of LaTeX documents. It
aids in creation of bibliographies, cross-references, indexes, and
glossaries. RefTeX understands the structure of multi-file LaTeX
documents and is able to collect from them information about the
location(s) of external data stores used in creation of the final
document. RefTeX was written by Carsten Dominik and is currently
being maintained by the [[http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/index.html][AucTeX]] project.
*** Using RefTeX In Org-mode Files for LaTeX Export
In Org-mode files for LaTeX export, the trick is to find a way to tell
RefTeX the locations of external data stores. One way is to set the
variable, =reftex-default-bibliography=. Add lines like these to
.emacs:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(setq reftex-default-bibliography
(quote
("default.bib" "other-default.bib")))
#+END_SRC
In practice, this is a limited solution and the
typical user will want to pass this information on a per-file basis.
Two solutions to this problem were posted on a blog, [[http://www.mfasold.net/blog/2009/02/using-emacs-org-mode-to-draft-papers/][Mario's
Braindump]].
The first solution, proposed by Mario, enables the RefTeX citation
function in Org-mode. Add these lines to .emacs:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-mode-reftex-setup ()
(load-library "reftex")
(and (buffer-file-name)
(file-exists-p (buffer-file-name))
(reftex-parse-all))
(define-key org-mode-map (kbd "C-c )") 'reftex-citation))
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'org-mode-reftex-setup)
#+END_SRC
Then add the following lines anywhere in the Org-mode file (Org-mode
will recognize them as LaTeX commands):
#+BEGIN_SRC org
\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{BIB-NAME}
#+END_SRC
With this setup, =C-c )= will invoke =reftex-citation= which will
insert a reference in the usual way:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,* test reftex
This is a citation \cite{tierney90}.
\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{tsd}
#+END_SRC
This Org-mode file will export the following LaTeX output:
#+BEGIN_SRC latex
% Created 2010-03-22 Mon 14:34
\documentclass[11pt,letter]{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\title{test.org}
\author{Tom Dye}
\date{2010-03-22 Mon}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\setcounter{tocdepth}{3}
\tableofcontents
\vspace*{1cm}
\section{test reftex}
\label{sec-1}
This is a citation \cite{tierney90}.
\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{tsd}
\end{document}
#+END_SRC
A second solution, to activate the RefTeX minor mode on a per-file
basis, was posted by Kevin Brubeck Unhammer in response to this idea.
Add the following lines to .emacs:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-hook ‘org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(if (member “WRITE” org-todo-keywords-1)
(org-mode-article-modes))))
#+END_SRC
where =org-mode-article-modes= is defined as follows:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-mode-article-modes ()
(reftex-mode t)
(bib-cite-minor-mode t)
(and (buffer-file-name)
(file-exists-p (buffer-file-name))
(reftex-parse-all)))
#+END_SRC
Add the =\bibliographystyle{}= and =\bibliography{}= lines to the
Org-mode file as before and define a TODO keyword, =WRITE=, perhaps
like this:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,#+TODO: TODO(t) STARTED(s) WRITE | DONE(d) DEFERRED(f)
#+END_SRC
With this setup, you insert a citation with =M-x reftex-citation RET=.
*** Using RefTeX in Org-babel LaTeX Code Blocks
In Org-babel LaTeX code blocks, the trick is to give RefTeX access to
information in other Org-babel LaTeX code blocks. If you use an Emacs
starter kit where configuration information is held in Org-mode files,
then the second solution is preferable because you won't be asked for
a master file when Emacs is started. For this reason, the second
solution is modified for use with Org-babel latex code blocks. No
key-binding is needed here because Org-babel code blocks are edited
within the usual AucTeX environment.
Add the following lines to .emacs (adapted from Kevin Brubeck Unhammer's [[http://www.mfasold.net/blog/2009/02/using-emacs-org-mode-to-draft-papers/][Reftex Setup]])
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-mode-article-modes ()
(reftex-mode t)
(and (buffer-file-name)
(file-exists-p (buffer-file-name))
(reftex-parse-all)))
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(if (member "REFTEX" org-todo-keywords-1)
(org-mode-article-modes))))
#+END_SRC
Then add a line like the following line to the top of your org-mode file:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
,#+TODO: TODO(t) STARTED(s) | DONE(d) DEFERRED(f) REFTEX
#+END_SRC
When you open an org-mode file with a line like this, RefTeX will
prompt for the master .tex file, which will be parsed in the usual
way. This means that the .tex file should already exist, perhaps by
tangling the LaTeX preamble and postamble, before
=org-mode-article-modes= is activated for the Org-mode file.
** How can I use XeLaTeX for LaTeX export instead of pdfLaTeX?
#+INDEX: XeLaTeX
#+INDEX: pdfLaTeX
[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XeTeX][XeLaTeX]] is an alternative to pdfLaTeX for typesetting LaTeX
documents. XeTeX can use any fonts installed in the operating system
without configuring TeX font metrics, and can make direct use of advanced
typographic features of OpenType and other font formats. By default,
org-mode exports =org= files to =pdf= via pdfLaTeX.
Here is one way to smoothly incorporate XeLaTeX into org-mode's export
process. This solution takes advantage of [[http://www.phys.psu.edu/~collins/software/latexmk-jcc][latexmk]], a perl script that
intelligently and automatically manages latex compilation. It is included
with TeXLive, but at present the version included is not quite up-to-date
enough for our needs. Version 4.20 and higher includes an option allowing
you to specify which program to use when "pdflatex" is called. Install a
current version of latexmk as per the instructions on the [[http://www.phys.psu.edu/~collins/software/latexmk-jcc][latexmk]] site. If
necessary, disable the older version that comes with TeXLive. This is
likely in =/usr/texbin/=, and you should rename or remove it. Then you can
put the following in your =~/.emacs.d/= or equivalent:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(require 'ox-latex)
(setq org-latex-listings t)
;; Originally taken from Bruno Tavernier: http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/31150/focus=31432
;; but adapted to use latexmk 4.20 or higher.
(defun my-auto-tex-cmd ()
"When exporting from .org with latex, automatically run latex,
pdflatex, or xelatex as appropriate, using latexmk."
(let ((texcmd)))
;; default command: oldstyle latex via dvi
(setq texcmd "latexmk -dvi -pdfps -quiet %f")
;; pdflatex -> .pdf
(if (string-match "LATEX_CMD: pdflatex" (buffer-string))
(setq texcmd "latexmk -pdf -quiet %f"))
;; xelatex -> .pdf
(if (string-match "LATEX_CMD: xelatex" (buffer-string))
(setq texcmd "latexmk -pdflatex=xelatex -pdf -quiet %f"))
;; LaTeX compilation command
(setq org-latex-to-pdf-process (list texcmd)))
(add-hook 'org-export-latex-after-initial-vars-hook 'my-auto-tex-cmd)
;; Specify default packages to be included in every tex file, whether pdflatex or xelatex
(setq org-latex-packages-alist
'(("" "graphicx" t)
("" "longtable" nil)
("" "float" nil)))
(defun my-auto-tex-parameters ()
"Automatically select the tex packages to include."
;; default packages for ordinary latex or pdflatex export
(setq org-latex-default-packages-alist
'(("AUTO" "inputenc" t)
("T1" "fontenc" t)
("" "fixltx2e" nil)
("" "wrapfig" nil)
("" "soul" t)
("" "textcomp" t)
("" "marvosym" t)
("" "wasysym" t)
("" "latexsym" t)
("" "amssymb" t)
("" "hyperref" nil)))
;; Packages to include when xelatex is used
(if (string-match "LATEX_CMD: xelatex" (buffer-string))
(setq org-latex-default-packages-alist
'(("" "fontspec" t)
("" "xunicode" t)
("" "url" t)
("" "rotating" t)
("american" "babel" t)
("babel" "csquotes" t)
("" "soul" t)
("xetex" "hyperref" nil)
)))
(if (string-match "LATEX_CMD: xelatex" (buffer-string))
(setq org-latex-classes
(cons '("article"
"\\documentclass[11pt,article,oneside]{memoir}"
("\\section{%s}" . "\\section*{%s}")
("\\subsection{%s}" . "\\subsection*{%s}")
("\\subsubsection{%s}" . "\\subsubsection*{%s}")
("\\paragraph{%s}" . "\\paragraph*{%s}")
("\\subparagraph{%s}" . "\\subparagraph*{%s}"))
org-latex-classes))))
(add-hook 'org-export-latex-after-initial-vars-hook 'my-auto-tex-parameters)
#+END_SRC
The =my-auto-tex-cmd= function looks at your =.org= file and checks whether
you've specified which latex to use. If there are no instructions, it just
runs regular old latex. If it finds the string =LATEX_CMD: pdflatex= in
your file, it runs pdflatex. If it finds =LATEX_CMD: xelatex=, it runs
xelatex. Because control is handed off to latexmk, nothing else is needed:
it takes care of figuring things out so that the references and citations
are correct.
The second half of the code above specifies the latex packages that will be
included in the =.tex= file. The variable =org-latex-packages-alist=
specifies a list of packages that are always included in the header of
latex documents, regardless of how they are compiled. The variable
=org-latex-default-packages-alist= adds additional packages
depending on whether latex/pdflatex or xelatex is being used. You can
change the content of these as needed.
Finally, the =org-latex-classes= variable redefines elements of the
=.tex= file's preamble for the xelatex case. These can also be customized
as needed.
By way of example, an =.org= file you want compiled with xelatex might
contain the following header:
: #+TITLE: My Paper
: #+AUTHOR: Jane Doe
: #+DATE:
: #+OPTIONS: toc:nil num:nil
: #+LATEX_CMD: xelatex
: #+LATEX_HEADER: \setsansfont[Mapping=tex-text]{Unit-Bold}
: #+LATEX_HEADER: \setmonofont[Mapping=tex-text,Scale=MatchLowercase]{PragmataPro}
: #+LATEX_HEADER: \setromanfont[Mapping=tex-text,Numbers=OldStyle]{Minion Pro}
If you always want to have the same font setup in your xelatex documents,
the =fontspec= commands setting the font choices can be put in the
=org-latex-classes= setting instead.
The upshot is that when you want to export an =.org= file using XeLaTeX,
you can now simply make sure the line =LATEX_CMD: xelatex= is in your
=.org= file, then do =C-c C-e d= as usual, and org-mode, with latexmk in
the background, does the rest for you.
** Why is my exported PDF file almost unreadable?
Some PDF viewers (earlier versions (< v6) of Acrobat Reader, Evince,
possibly others) do not get along with Adobe Type3 fonts, producing almost
unreadable screen output (printed output is OK). If you see this, first
verify the fonts that your document uses: open it with Acrobat Reader or
Evince, select "Properties" from the "File" menu and click on the "Fonts"
tab; alternatively, you can use the pdffonts program (part of the
xpdf-reader package) from the command line. If that is indeed the problem,
then either use a different viewer or install Type1 versions of the
problematic fonts. For more details, see the "PDF export" section of
[[file:./org-dependencies.org][org-dependencies]].
** Can I add attributes to a link or an image in HTML export?
#+INDEX: Export!Link
#+INDEX: Export!Image
#+INDEX: Link!Attributes
#+INDEX: Image!Attributes
Yes. Excerpt from [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Images-in-HTML-export.html#Images-in-HTML-export][Org's manual]]:
If you need to add attributes to an inlined image, use a `#+ATTR_HTML'.
In the example below we specify the `alt' and `title' attributes to
support text viewers and accessibility, and align it to the right.
: #+CAPTION: A black cat stalking a spider
: #+ATTR_HTML: :alt cat/spider image :title Action! :align right
: [[./img/a.jpg]]
and you could use `http' addresses just as well.
** How can I export an org file to rtf, odt (Open Office), or doc (Word)?
#+INDEX: Export!rtf
#+INDEX: Export!odt
#+INDEX: Export!doc
Orgmode exports natively to =OpenDocument= format using =org-odt= module.
The key bindings for export are =C-c C-e o= and =C-c C-e O=.
If you don't see =OpenDocumentText= as an option under =C-c C-e= you need
to upgrade to =Org-mode 7.6= by one of the following means:
1. Install org-7.6 using a distribution .zip or .tar.gz file, or
through Git. Then do the following:
1. Add =contrib/lisp= to the load-path in your =.emacs=
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; modify org-root-dir as needed
(add-to-list 'load-path "org-root-dir/contrib/lisp")
#+END_SRC
2. Do =M-x customize-variable RET org-modules RET= and enable the
=odt= option
2. Upgrade to (atleast) the =Emacs-24.1 pretest= version. Install
=org-odt= package using =M-x list-packages=.
** ODT export aborts on my Windows machine as I don't have zip installed. Where can I find a zip utility?
#+INDEX: Zip
You can either use [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Info-ZIP][Info-ZIP]] or zip package from Cygwin. Please customize
=exec-path= to include the installation directory.
** I cannot open an exported =*.odt= file in LibreOffice because it is corrupt. What do I do?
#+INDEX: Export!odt
Typically the corruption of =odt= file happens when the XML emitted by
Org is not well-formed according to =OpenDocument schema=.
If you encounter corruption issues please identify the root cause
using one of the methods described below:
- Use an Online validator
- Pass the exported document through the [[http://tools.services.openoffice.org/odfvalidator/][ODF Validator]] and note down
the errors.
- Use Emacs' in-built validator
1. Switch to =*.odt= buffer =(C-x b whatever.odt)=
2. Open the =content.xml= file - =(Hit RET on content.xml)=
3. Do a =C-u C-c C-n= - =(M-x rng-first-error)=
4. Note the error message, the XML markup at the point of error and
the surrounding context.
Once you have identified the error
1. Create a minimal org file that reproduces the error.
2. Post a bug-report to =emacs-orgmode@gnu.org=.
** How can I specify ODT export styles?
#+INDEX: Export!odt style
Check the variable =org-export-odt-styles-file=. Here is its docstring,
as of Org version 7.8:
: org-export-odt-styles-file is a variable defined in `org-odt.el'.
: Its value is nil
:
: Documentation:
: Default styles file for use with ODT export.
: Valid values are one of:
: 1. nil
: 2. path to a styles.xml file
: 3. path to a *.odt or a *.ott file
: 4. list of the form (ODT-OR-OTT-FILE (FILE-MEMBER-1 FILE-MEMBER-2
: ...))
:
: [snip]
:
: Use "#+ODT_STYLES_FILE: ..." directive to set this variable on
: a per-file basis. For example,
:
: #+ODT_STYLES_FILE: "/path/to/styles.xml" or
: #+ODT_STYLES_FILE: ("/path/to/file.ott" ("styles.xml" "image/hdr.png")).
:
: You can customize this variable.
** Can I omit the title in the LaTeX export?
Yes: simply use a blank #+TITLE in your Org file.
** How can I use arbitrary colors for words/sentences in HTML export?
Add the following to your Emacs config,
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
;; -*- emacs-lisp -*-
(org-add-link-type
"color"
(lambda (path)
(message (concat "color "
(progn (add-text-properties
0 (length path)
(list 'face `((t (:foreground ,path))))
path) path))))
(lambda (path desc format)
(cond
((eq format 'html)
(format "%s" path desc))
((eq format 'latex)
(format "{\\color{%s}%s}" path desc)))))
#+END_SRC
and then you can use
: [[color:red][red]]
for colored export.
This question has been raised [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/59130][on the mailing list]] by Jos'h Fuller and
answered by Eric Schulte.
** How can I suppress the page number in the footer of an exported PDF?
#+INDEX: Export!pdf
#+INDEX: pdfLaTeX
Use the following directive in your Org file:
: #+LATEX: \thispagestyle{empty}
* Backup
#+INDEX: Backup
Since =org= files are so central to your life, you probably want to back
them up in a safe place.
If the =org= file you want to back up are in a single directory, the
preferred method is to us a =RCS= (Revision Control System) -- pick up your
favorite ([[http://git-scm.com/][git]], [[http://bazaar.canonical.com/en/][bazaar]], [[http://mercurial.selenic.com/][mercurial]], [[http://subversion.apache.org/][subversion]], [[http://www.nongnu.org/cvs/][cvs]], etc.). Depending on the
RCS you use and how you use it, you can have a /local/ backup or sync it on
a remote place.
If you want to store all your =org= files from your =$HOME= to a single
=~/org/backup/= folder, you can use this shell script (as [[http://article.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/37655][suggested by
Suvayu Ali]]):
#+BEGIN_SRC sh
mkdir -p ~/org/backup && \
find $HOME -type f -name '*\.org' ! -path "$HOME/org/backup/*" \
-exec cp -t ~/org/backup/ \{\} \;
#+END_SRC
It will recursively search for =org= files in your =$HOME= directory
(except those in =~/org/backup/=) and copy them to =~/org/backup/=.
You can then use rsync to make sure =~/org/backup/= also lives on a
remote and safe place.
* MobileOrg
#+INDEX: MobileOrg
** Which versions of MobileOrg are available?
MobileOrg is available for Apple's iOS, and for Google's Android.
- MobileOrg for the *iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad* series of devices, by
Richard Moreland. Check out [[http://mobileorg.ncogni.to/][Richard's page]].
- MobileOrg for *Android*, by Matt Jones. See [[http://wiki.github.com/matburt/mobileorg-android/][his project page]].
** Can I use the same files on my mobile device as on my computer?
Absolutely! Both apps currently offer the same options for
synchronization of =.org= files with a computer-based installation of
Org-mode:
- via [[http://www.dropbox.com/][Dropbox.com]] (easier to set up, free accounts available)
- via a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebDAV][WebDAV]] server of your choice (potentially more data privacy)
** How does synchronization via WebDAV work?
You need to create a dedicated directory on the WebDAV server for the
communication between Emacs and MobileOrg.
#+BEGIN_SRC ditaa
+----------------------+ +----------------------+
| desktop | | WebDAV server |
+----------------------+ +----------------------+
| emacs | | org-mobile-directory |
| + org-mode | | containing: |
| | scp (ssh) | |
| org-mobile-push -----------------> *.org |
| org-mobile-pull
** Problems with LaTeX macros with #+latex or #+begin_latex
#+INDEX: LaTeX!Macro
Org's LaTeX exporter has a difficult job on its hands and even though it
does a great job most of the time, there are times when it falls short. One
situation that has arisen a few times in the past is when a macro
definition or use includes an opening brace, but the corresponding closing
brace is on a different line. That has caused LaTeX compilation problems or
mysterious excisions of content - see for example the following two threads
in the mailing list:
- [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/39308]]
- [[http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/42196]]
In both cases, the exporter was getting confused by the opening brace which
did not have a corresponding closing brace on the same line. Although the
first of these cases is fixed in current Org, there might be more such
cases or there might be a regression which causes the incorrect behavior
again. While waiting for a fix, it's worth trying out the simple workaround
of including a fake closing brace on the same line as the opening brace but
*commenting it out* so that LaTeX never sees it. That is often enough to
make the exporter behave properly. In other words, to take one of the
examples above, instead of writing
: #+latex: \custommacro {
: ...
: #+latex: }
use the following idiom instead:
: #+latex: \custommacro { % hide the closing brace in a LaTeX comment }
: ...
: #+latex: }
I emphasize that this is a workaround, not a fix: if you do run into such
a case and the workaround fixes it, at least you can continue working, but
please submit a bug report so that it can be fixed properly.
** Inserting a Mairix type link when calling Orgmode capture in VM
#+INDEX: lMairix
See the "rather crude solution" posted in [[http://robert-adesam.blogspot.com/2011/07/orgmode-capture-to-insert-mairix-link.html][this blog entry]] by Robert
Adesam.
** Can I prevent ispell from checking source blocks?
Yes, use this:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(add-to-list 'ispell-skip-region-alist '("#\\+begin_src". "#\\+end_src"))
#+END_SRC
* Google Summer of Code (GSoC)
** Does Org Mode participate in GNU's application for the GSoC 2012?
#+INDEX: GSoC 2012
Org Mode will contribute project ideas to GNU's application as
mentoring organisation in Google's Summer of Code 2012 (see Google's
[[http://www.google-melange.com/document/show/gsoc_program/google/gsoc2012/faqs][faq]]). You can have a look at the [[file:org-contrib/gsoc2012/index.org][GSoC 2012 page]] on Worg for more
information about the project itself, and how to participate as
student or mentor.